BIGGEST WINNER
Deontay Wilder: The Deontay Wilder we saw for eight-plus rounds on Saturday night isn?t going to strike fear in any of the top heavyweights. The one we saw in the final few seconds might give them pause, though. The WBC champ looked largely amateurish for most of his defense against Artur Szpilka at Barclays Center, which isn?t shocking given his late start in the sport. He threw relatively few punches because he couldn?t figure out how to get to Szpilka, a southpaw who moved well and fought with some craftiness. And when Wilder (36-0, 35 knockouts) did let his hands go, many of his punches were wild, off-balance shots that missed badly. For those reasons, I wonder long it will be before some better than Szpilka ? perhaps his possible next opponent, Alexander Povetkin ? will outbox Wilder, avoid his big shots and take his WBC title even though he did outpoint Bermane Stiverne to win it. The key is avoiding his big shots; if you don?t, sweet dreams. Szpilka (20-2, 15 KOs) was behind on points but competitive when the end came in a dramatic instant, a short right to the chin that knocked him unconscious for several minutes. Scary stuff. I hesitate to pick Wilder to beat Povetkin, his well-schooled mandatory challenger, but big punchers have a way of landing big punches. I think Wilder?s run could last longer than some people believe. And it will be fun while it lasts. One last thing: I loved the Wilder-Tyson Fury exchange after the fight. First-rate marketing for a future showdown.
MOST RIDICULOUS
IBF title fight: Charles Martin, heavyweight titleholder? (Shaking my head.) Tyson Fury?s title-winning victory over Wladimir Klitschko had barely ended when IBF officials stripped Fury of their belt and announced Martin and Vyacheslav Glazkov would fight for the vacant title on the Wilder-Szpilka card, the IBF officials? motivation being the money they would earn from sanctioning fees. I think Glazkov (21-1-1, 13 KOs) was a legitimate challenger, as he has some noteworthy victories. Martin (23-0-1, 21 KOs) did absolutely nothing to deserve the opportunity. A quick look at his record reveals he had built a 22-0-1 record against a list of nobodies. And he only technically beat Glazkov, who had to quit because of a knee injury in the third round. Even Martin said immediately afterward, ?We didn?t even fight.? IBF officials should be embarrassed. That said, let me be clear about something: I don?t mean to disparage Martin. The 6-foot-5 California resident obviously has some punching power and looked pretty good for two-plus rounds against Glazkov, although things were just getting started. He could turn out to be a good heavyweight. We just have no way to know that even though he now holds a major belt.
BEST COMEBACK
David Haye: Mark de Mori (30-2-2, 26 KOs) was barely a live body when he entered the ring to fight David Haye (27-2, 25 KOs) in Haye?s comeback fight Saturday in London. Thank goodness de Mori was OK when he left it. Haye hadn?t fought in 3? years because of a shoulder injury but you wouldn?t know it by his performance at the O2 Arena, where it took him only 2 minutes, 11 seconds to put his overmatched Australian opponent away. Haye showed no ring rust, as he confidently ? and viciously ? attacked de Mori from the opening bell. The final blows were vintage Haye, a straight right followed by a short, overhand right that ended matters in an instant. The victory doesn?t mean much because de Mori was the opponent but Haye did what he set out to do: He got back into the heavyweight picture with an impressive victory on a big stage. The opponent really wasn?t important. How will Haye do going forward? I think he could give trouble to any heavyweight in the world, including an aging Klitschko. He weighed in at a fit career-high of 227? pounds yet seemed to retain his speed, which bodes well. He?s 35, which isn?t old but an age when most boxers fight with a sense of urgency. And he?ll always have that punching power. Bottom line: The addition of Haye into a suddenly wide open division makes it even more interesting.
