SONAHR: September 27, 2015 – WBC heavyweight champion Deontay (Bronze Bomber) Wilder?s successful second defense of his title against French contender Johann Duhaupas in Birmingham, Alabama on Saturday was hardly a shock. Indeed, if the prohibitive underdog Duhaupas had pulled off an upset, I would have checked the astronomy books to find out what planet I?m living on.
The surprising aspect of this fight was that Wilder had to labor over 11 rounds to halt an opponent whose title-contention credentials were ? at best ? minimal. Not only was Duhaupas on his feet when the referee stopped the contest; the Frenchman never went down, and he managed to do some damage to Wilder?s left eye, as well as his reputation as a fearsome knockout artist in the mold of the Mike Tyson of the 1980s or the George Foreman of the 1970s.
Wilder?s last three bouts ? including the 12-round decision over Bermane Stiverne in January that won him the title and a nine-round knockout of Eric Molina in his first defense ? have gone a total of 32 rounds. Prior to his win over Stiverne, Wilder had not gone more than four rounds in his long string of KO victories, and one-round blowouts were his specialty. Now, it appears he may be experiencing something of a power outage.
Wilder injured his potent right hand during the Stiverne fight, but was able to win through the use of an effective left jab that he hadn?t found it necessary to deploy during his earlier fights. He took some time off for healing before taking on Molina, whose ring resume wasn?t any better than that of Duhaupas. Maybe the hand is still giving Wilder problems. Or ? maybe he?s not as potent a puncher as his march to the title suggested.
After the fight Wilder, as expected, trumpeted his desire to cross gloves with Wladimir Klitschko, who holds the rest of the major heavyweight titles. Klitschko has some big business to take care of next month, in the form of undefeated British behemoth Tyson Fury. Fury will be an underdog, but his chances against Klitschko are infinitely better than those of Duhaupas against Wilder. A Fury victory would toss the potential Wilder-Klitschko superfight into the trash can.
The strategy of the Wilder brain trust is clear: Defend the title against no-hopers in the friendly confines of the champion?s home state while hoping that the 39-year-old Klitschko gets past Fury. The idea is to look impressive while disposing of the underdogs. Against Molina and Duhaupas, Wilder has gotten the job done, but has not looked particularly good in the process. His claim to be The Next Great American Heavyweight is looking a bit more dubious as 2015 draws to a close.
Wilder?s immediate future hinges on the outcome of Klitschko-Fury. If Klitschko wins, the way will be clear for a lucrative title-unification showdown sometime next year. If Fury wins, unification will be put on the back burner, as Klitschko could ask for ? and get ? a rematch. Whether or not he fought the Ukrainian again, Fury would likely want to bank a couple of risk-free defenses, following in the footsteps of Wilder and more than a few other champions.
If Klitschko and Fury were watching the Wilder-Duhaupas contest, they probably liked what they saw: a vulnerable title-holder whose reputation as a hitter may be greatly exaggerated. Charles R. Saunders is the author of several books including Sweat and Soul: The Saga of Black Boxers in the Maritimes from the Halifax Forum to Caesars Palace, as well as the Imaro series of fantasy/adventure novels. Considered by many to be one of the leading authorities on boxing in Canada, he is the current Vice-President of Boxing for the Society of North American Sports Historians and Researchers. His novels, Imaro, Damballa, and Abengoni: First Calling are available at Amazon.com.
