The undefeated Deontay Wilder continues his
quest to prove that he’s the best heavyweight fighter in the world.
He’ll defend his WBC heavyweight championship on May 21 in Moscow
against Alexander Povetkin, but with a bigger fight looming.
Wilder, 30, is 36-0 as a pro, knocking out
nearly every one of his opponents. He took Artur Szpilka out with one
right hand in the ninth-round of their Jan. 16 fight to pick up the 35th
knockout of his career. Only Bermane Stiverne has been able to go the
distance against Wilder, losing a unanimous decision and his heavyweight
championship in January of last year.
Povetkin offers a serious challenge to Wilder,
one that the Alabama native has never faced before. Wilder will head to
Povetkin’s native Russia in a fight that oddsmakers are almost listing
as a tossup. The champ is a -150 favorite at Bovada.lv, Povetkin has +120 betting odds.
"My expectation is, of course, to win, to come back with that victory for America," Wilder said via ESPN.com.
"This is a big fight, not just for myself, for America. It's like
Russia versus America. I've been getting nothing but positive feedback
from fans all over. Even if they weren't a fan of Deontay Wilder, they
are now for this very fight. Hopefully, I can win them over to stay a
fan of Deontay Wilder after this fight.
"I think it's a great fight. I think it's a
great thing that we're going over to Russia defending my title in
somebody else's backyard. It's easier for me to fight here in America,
but that's not what it's all about to me. When I have a title that says
'the heavyweight champion of the world,' I want to travel all over the
world to defend my title. I'm living my dream. I'm getting an
opportunity to do that with this fight. I'm looking forward to Russia
and I want to tell Russia, 'Here I come.'"
Most recently defeating Mariusz Wach, Povetkin
has won four fights in a row by early stoppage. With a 30-1 career
record, his only loss came at the hands of Wladimir Klitschko when he
went 12 rounds with the long-time champion on Oct. 5, 2013.
No matter who wins the fight, it isn’t likely
to go the distance. Twenty-two of Povetkin’s 30 wins have come via
knockout, including his last six victories. The championship fight
should be an exciting battle, a far cry from the heavyweight bout last
year that saw Klitschko relinquish his title to Tyson Fury when a total
of just 138 punches were landed in 12 rounds.
But the presence of Fury and Klitschko looms
large for Wilder, a growing star in boxing. He could face the winner of
Fury-Klitschko in a huge heavyweight fight that boxing fans have been
clamoring for after years of uninspiring competition.
A win and a strong effort against Povetkin
would bolster Wilder's chances to fight in a global PPV event against
Fury or Klitschko, who fight on July 9 with the WBA (Super), WBO, IBO,
The Ring and lineal heavyweight titles on the line. It's unclear if
Fury's win over Klitsckho was a fluke, but when they meet, Wilder will
likely be taking notes.
With 10 days to go until his fight against
Povetkin, it still isn’t scheduled to be shown on television in the
United States. Showtime, which aired Wilder’s title defense over
Szpilka, is hoping to change that and get a deal done before next
weekend.
"We are working to finalize a deal with World
of Boxing to televise this important fight," Showtime Sports vice
president of communications Chris DeBlasio said on a recent teleconference. "Sufficient to say, Showtime is committed to delivering the most important fights of the heavyweight division.”
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