SONAHR: HALIFAX, Nova Scotia – January 17, 2016 – During the 1980s and ?90s, the late promoter Cedric Kushner produced a series of cards under the title ?Heavyweight Explosion.? The bouts generated paydays and exposure for prospects and fringe contenders alike. Saturday?s three major heavyweight bouts promised to provide explosions of their own, though on a lesser scale than Kushner?s multi-bout events. When the dust settled, boxing fans were left with two blasts and a dud.
Blast No. 1 was Deontay Wilder?s third defense of the WBC title he lifted this time last year from Bermane Stiverne. Wilder?s opponent on Saturday was Artur Szpilka, a Polish battler who is good enough to knock on the door of heavyweight Top 10 rankings, but not quite good enough to secure a solid foothold. Even so, he stands several levels above Wilder?s previous two challengers, Eric Molina and Johann Duhaupas ? both of whom proved troublesome before succumbing to late-round stoppages.
Szpilka gave Wilder a hard time, too, especially in the early rounds, during which he built a points lead. Eventually, Wilder woke up and knocked Szpilka unconscious with a ballistic right-hand shot in the ninth round. The punching power that had seemingly deserted Deontay over his past three fights had returned with a vengeance.
WBA/WBO champion Tyson Fury provided further drama when he stormed the ring and instigated a jawing skirmish with Wilder. A fight between these two would be well worth watching. But before that bout can happen, Fury has to get past his rematch with Wladimir Klitschko, and Wilder faces a mandatory challenge from Alexander Povetkin.
Blast No. 2 was former WBA champion David Haye?s return to the ring after a ?retirement? that lasted a mere 3 1/2 years. The ?Haymaker? made only a brief reappearance, kayoing an Australian named Mark De Mori in the first round. Haye immediately called out Fury. But he pulled out of a bout with Fury years ago, and Fury is not likely to be inclined to face his domestic rival with bigger bouts ? the Klitschko rematch, a Wilder unification showdown ? waiting a short distance down the road.
The dud was the contest for the newly available IBF world championship, which was stripped from Fury after he had won it from Klitschko in November. To fill that vacancy, undefeated Top 10 contender Vyacheslav (Czar) Glazkov was pitted against undefeated prospect Charles Martin. Glazkov?s experience appeared to give him an edge going into the contest. But the fight didn?t go past the third round, during which Glazkov tripped and fell to the canvas, damaging his right knee so severely that he could not go on. Martin was therefore awarded the bout ? and the title ? on a TKO. Not the most satisfactory way to garner a belt, but nonetheless Martin is now a major player in a division that has suddenly transitioned from Klitschko-era stability to post-Klitschko chaos.
That?s right ? ?post-Klitschko.? Even if Vladimir defeats Fury in their second fight, the Ukrainian is 40 years old, and he?s not showing signs of becoming the heavyweight equivalent of the ageless Bernard Hopkins. And the chances that older brother Vitali will come out of retirement to try to regain the WBC title he vacated are minimal, at best.
If the start of this year is any indication, and if the blasts continue to overshadow the duds, the heavyweight division is about to become fractured, frenzied ? and fun to watch, for a change.
