Don King may have options, but Bermane Stiverne?s options are limited. He gets just one defense of his heavyweight crown?
It?s been a long time since an American has worn a heavyweight belt.
That, however, may be about to change.
The long awaited test for Deontay Wilder, the undefeated Bronze Bomber from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, is a done deal. Although the date and venue have not been determined, it looks like Wilder, who has yet to fight a top ten heavyweight, is about to get his shot at Bermane Stiverne?s WBC title.
?Everything has been confirmed,? Wilder told the Tuscaloosa News. ?I?m very excited. It?s been a long time coming for me. I?m just excited to get that belt. This is going to be a great moment. Not only a great gift for the world, but great to bring that belt back to Tuscaloosa.?
Las Vegas and New York are reportedly slavering at the chance to host the fight. No doubt Showtime and HBO are slavering as well.
Mauricio Sulaiman, president of the WBC who anointed Wilder the mandatory, said, ?I am extremely happy to know that there is a definitive agreement for this fight to take place as soon as possible. The heavyweight division is back and fans around the world are waiting with great expectation to see this highly anticipated WBC heavyweight championship of the world.?
It may be premature to declare the heavyweight division back, but Sulaiman?s comments typify restraint, unlike the remarks of Stiverne?s promoter Don King.
?Ali, Frazier, Foreman, Holmes, Tyson, Lewis and Klitschko paved the way for today?s king of the heavyweight division, Bermane Stiverne,? King said, somehow omitting Joe Louis, Jack Dempsey, Rocky Marciano, and Jack Johnson. ?Bermane Stiverne will show the world his power and greatness, precisely during the 40th anniversary of Rumble in the Jungle which I promoted and that changed the structure of boxing.?
According to Jay Deas, Wilder?s co-manager, ?a lot of major issues? still need to be resolved.
?We still hold out hope that the fight will be before the end of the year,? he said, ?but given that an announcement will be made in late October, early November, it wouldn?t surprise me if it would happen in January.?
Although Deas did not mention it, the question of options, a Don King specialty which has deep-sixed major fights in the past, may also be slowing things down.
?Options is not a dirty word,? King said.? I need to pay my overheads, you know.?
There are some wild cards going into this fight. One is Wilder?s chin, which hasn?t been tested by his poor opposition. The other is Stiverne?s enthusiasm for boxing, which King, with his fast talk and broken promises, has historically shown he can erode.
But Stiverne remains optimistic.
?I have worked for many years and my dream materialized to conquer the green and gold belt, which I will defend with pride and honor for many years. Nobody is getting in my way.?
The only thing standing in Stiverne?s way is Deontay Wilder. He had better not fight the Bronze Bomber the way he fought Chris Arreola. If he lays on the ropes he?s a sitting duck for the Alabaman?s bombs.
Don King may have options, but Stiverne?s options are limited. He gets just one defense of his crown, and he had better make the most of it.
