Curtains: Dr. Steelhammer Will Break Deontay Wilder

In the first heavyweight title match on NBC in thirty years, the network introduced Deontay Wilder to the world of casual boxing fans for free, with the intent on showcasing a champion who can finally end Wladimir Klitschko’s unbeaten streak. To the eye of boxing enthusiasts, Wilder fell short of being a legitimate challenger to Klitschko’s dominance in the heavyweight division.

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On Saturday, Wilder found one of his toughest challenges in Johann Duhaupas. Wilder entered the ring as a heavy favorite over the 32-3 Frenchman, and ultimately defeated Duhaupas with an 11th round TKO. The victory however, was far from impressive for a fighter who is propped up as the man to beat Klitschko.

Wilder’s power is unquestioned. He entered the night with a remarkable 34-0 record with 33 knockouts. Wilder is armed with a right hand that looks like an ACME anvil and a ferocity that many believe will force Klitschko into a slugging match. The problem is… Wilder is too wild of a puncher to challenge Klitschko’s pure boxing skill.

By the end of Saturday night Wilder dominated the scorecard; but for the first five rounds, a feeling settled over the 8,471 fans in attendance at Wilder’s hometown of Tuscaloosa Alabama, that Duhaupas could stop Wilder with a single punch. All Duhaupas did to avoid an early round knockout from Wilder was slightly perch his left shoulder to avoid Wilder’s right “hammer”. If Wilder wants to have a chance to beat Wladimir, he has to tighten the screws on his straight right hand, and make his opponent make adjustment, not minor tweaks like a hunched shoulder.

Wilder at times looks less like a boxer and more like a hulk rage in the ring. His left hook is lazy, wide, and ineffective. Many of his knockouts look like the result of sloppy defense from opponents in the guise of a bully, strong-arming a lesser class of fighter. In order to be undisputed, you must end the doubt. In order to end doubt, Wilder needs at least another year of hard fights to match Wladimir’s skill.

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The last time Klitschko lost a fight, Wilder looked forward to graduating high school. “Dr. Steelhammer” may be ten years older than Wilder, but just like 38 year old Floyd Mayweather, Klitschko is redefining what “prime” means to a great boxer.

Wladimir Klitschko barely throws left hooks. He doesn’t have to. Many label his style as “boring”, but just like Lennox Lewis before him, Klitschko demonstrates if the jab and straight are technically sound enough, left hooks are not important. When Klitschko does unleash a left hook it’s well timed, sharp, and devastating as a counter punch. Klitschko’s crisp mechanics hold more real power than Wilder’s haymakers. Wilder throws so wide, Klitschko could hit Deontay twice with equally devastating punches, before one Wilder punch lands. Klitschko is not exceptionally faster, but he does know the fastest way from point A to point B is a straight line.

Down the pipe. Between the gloves, on the screws…the man is precise.

Klitschko follows through with his long arms, uses his legs, uses his spine, and throws a scientific beam through his opponents with every carefully crafted punch. Wilder swings with hard, angry punches. Wilder launches the kind of punch that turns opponents into a snuggle-bug if landed, but if missed, might tear tendons in either of his knees…or the tendons in a nearby photographer’s knee, or the tendons in spectator watching television’s knee.

Klitschko doesn’t only fight smart, he fights dirty. Wladimir is known for holding, hooking, and leaning on his opponent. His 6‘6‘, 246 pound frame tires opponents without punches, and while Wilder often looks like a bully to his rivals, there is a twenty-pound weight advantage to Wladimir.

On Saturday, Johann Duhaupas fought Wilder like a poor man’s Klitschko, and for a while, it worked. He leaned and tangled with Wilder, who looked lazy inside. Deontay stalked, and arrogantly kept his hands at his waist, as Duhaupas leaned in and wore down Wilder with strong body blows, and ox-like upper-cuts. Duhaupas battled Wilder with a jab and right hand that cannot comprehend how well Klitchsko executes. Before Saturday, people questioned if Wilder had the conditioning or chin to go toe to toe for 12 rounds with a strong opponent, nobody questions Klitschko’s ability to do either. Wlad’s been proving himself without defeat since the beginning of George Bush’s second term as President.

On Saturday night, Duhaupas lost to Wilder without question, but Wilder took a beating. His eye swelled so big it looked like a potato grew from behind his retina. The swelling occurred after 98 Duhaupas punches. In Wladomir’s last fight against an impressive and defensively sound Bryant Jennings, Klitschko landed 144 punches. Bryant Jennings, unlike Wilder, made his best attempt to keep his hands up during an entire fight.

Deontay Wilder is a great fighter, this can’t be overlooked. These criticisms are not meant to diminish the man or the skill he possesses. If boxing was easy, more people would fight instead of write. The dilemma is, if Wilder wants to seriously contend Wladimir Klitschko’s reign as champion, he needs to get back to fundamentals and fight smarter.

Wilder is undersized, almost a lifetime less experienced, and to a fault, too hungry of a fighter for “Dr. Steelhammer”. These are all ingredients for another bout dominated by Wladimir Klitschko.

The first rule of boxing is to keep your hands up at all times. Second rule, never underestimate your opponent. If he wants to stand a chance, Deontay needs to study hard and train harder, because Wladimir Klitschko will not underestimate Deontay Wilder the way Wilder underestimated Johann Duhaupas.

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