By: Sean Crose
So far, it’s been a hell of a ride.
Following the career of Deontay Wilder is a fascinating endeavor. Emerging from the United States during the loyal Klitschko era, Olympic Bronze medalist Wilder has presented himself as a walking, talking knockout machine as he advanced towards a world title. By the time Wilder took on Tyson Fury in their first WBC senior title fight, the man had a 40-fight record. By the way, the majority of those wins come by knockout. The match with Fury ended up being close, but going into the final round, it looks like Wilder was behind in terms of cards.
A single thunderbolt changed all that.
In a moment that sent Fury to the floor, Wilder reached a swaggering neutral corner. However, it is worth noting that Fury stood up and finished the round strong. The memorable match ended in a draw. Just over a year later, Wilder and Fury fought again. This time the fight belongs to Fury from start to finish. With a new trainer at Sugar Hill Stewart, Fury has learned to knock Wilder’s strong punch, thus keeping the knockout artist’s landing clean. Mark Breland, one of Wilder’s co-coachs, stepped in and stopped the game in the seventh inning.
Wilder raged at Breland’s decision. Breland was eventually dropped from Wilder’s team, while Fury found himself accused of fraud without serious evidence to support such a damning assertion. After a rocky road, the two men – Wilder and Fury – met a year later for a third fight. This time, Wilder took down Fury again. However, no matter how hard he was hit, Fury was once again able to get up after tasting Wilder’s power. He defeated the American slug in a classic fight. This time, accusations of fraud or disloyalty will fall on deaf ears. There is no doubt who the real winner is. Wilder was, without a doubt, a loser.
However, defeat is simply part of the fighting game, despite whatever some fans and analysts may say. And so, after a year out of the ring, Wilder will be back in action this Saturday night as he faces a tough hit despite perhaps longtime rival Robert Hellanius in the pay card main event. PBC money per view. Wilder is expected to win – possibly in explosive fashion. And after that? That is an interesting question. It is argued that, aside from Fury, Wilder is the world’s heaviest heavyweight. And one never knows what the wily Fury might turn out to be next. In other words, it’s clearly not out of the question that Wilder achieves at least one world title, or even faces Fury for a fourth time.
F Scott Fitzgerald famously stated that there is no second act to American life. Wilder clearly wants to disprove that theory later this week.
