By Edward Chaykovsky
WBC heavyweight champion Bermane Stiverne (24-1-1, 21 KOs) is sitting back and waiting for the finishing touches on his first defense of the crown, which the World Boxing Council ordered against dangerous puncher Deontay Wilder (31-0, 31KOs). No boxer has been able to last more than four rounds with Wilder.
Stiverne captured the vacant title in May after knocking out Chris Arreola in their rematch. The belt became vacant after longtime champion Vital Klitschko walked away from the title to fully focus on his political career.
“I don’t see it as a special fight; I see it as my first title defense,” Stiverne told the Las Vegas Review Journal “But I take every fight seriously. I can fight a tomato can and I’m going to fight just as hard. But for me, it’s not about the money. I want Wilder. He can talk all the trash he wants, but that’s all it is — trash. And we all know where trash belongs.”
