Joe Louis.
Sonny Liston.
George Foreman.
Earnie Shavers.
Mike Tyson.
Lennox Lewis.
Wladimir Klitschko.
While all but Shavers were champions, they are grouped here for something else. The aforementioned are among the greatest punchers in the history of boxing. They were big men always seemingly a punch away from a big finish.
As far as power goes, it’s undeniable at this point. Deontay Wilder is part of their fraternity when it comes to hitting the showers early. In his last four fights, it would be hard to fill up one hand with the number of rounds Wilder has won where he didn’t score a knockdown or knockout. He has scored the former in all but two fights in his career. A pair of knockdowns saved him, on the official scorecards, from his first loss last year against Tyson Fury.
Deontay Wilder doesn’t come to win rounds. He comes looking for the moment where he can win the fight. Sometimes the moment comes in the first round. Sometimes it arrives in the last three rounds. Saturday, it came in round seven of a fight where he was arguably being shut out.
Luis Ortiz showed up in better shape than he did the first time and was fighting an even better fight. It didn’t matter. He couldn’t take Wilder’s power the first time and Wilder lurked, waiting, until the guard of Ortiz left just enough opening to show he couldn’t take it again.
When Wilder moved up his level of competition with the first Ortiz fight, there were still skeptics. In a technical sense, they will always remain. Someday, Wilder’s right hand might not find the target. The scorecards will likely be lopsided that night. It won’t give credit to just how perfect a performance that takes, or how good the whiskers of the man who pulls it off will prove to be.
Among the fraternity of great heavyweight punchers, there may never have been one who is so singularly reliant on the home run bomb. He is a unique talent and attraction, the boxing equivalent of Jason from the old Friday the 13th movies. He takes a good shot, has the lungs to stay sharp, and the hatchet is always in wait. Whatever he isn’t, what Wilder is makes for high drama every second of every fight.
And now Wilder is one fight away from a second chance to lay claim to history’s heavyweight crown.
Let’s get into it.
The Future for Wilder: In December 2018, Tyson Fury spent most of the night outboxing Wilder. Two knockdowns were enough to secure a draw for Wilder to ample debate. It’s the one man Wilder hasn’t been able to beat so far. He came within one second of doing it. Fury, who claims the lineal crown, was dropped dramatically in the final round and beat the count at the tick of nine. Fury survived a follow-up exchange and stunned Wilder to make the finish line. It was a hell of a night. The rematch should be just as interesting from bell to bell. Will Wilder get to Fury earlier? Will a Fury with even more rounds under his belt be even slicker and more difficult? Fury rocked Wilder several times in their first encounter; can he take better advantage? With the combined microphones of Fox and ESPN, this could be the richest fight in the heavyweight division in the US since Lennox Lewis-Mike Tyson. It’s hard to say who will win. All we know is it’s next. Start the countdown clock.
The Future for Ortiz: Ortiz at forty did everything right on Saturday until he didn’t. The 40-year old Cuban busted his ass and showed up in great shape. He boxed and protected well for six rounds, buzzing Wilder a time or two. It didn’t matter. Wilder can take Ortiz’s stuff. Ortiz can’t take his. It doesn’t mean he’s done. If Andy Ruiz defeats Anthony Joshua again in a couple weeks, a Ruiz fight would sell and be a great way to build Ruiz towards unification with the Fury-Wilder II winner (probably a more likely scenario if Wilder wins). Ortiz would also be viable for Joshua if Joshua wins the rematch. Ortiz came close to being the replacement foe Ortiz ended up being. Ortiz has probably seen his best chance to win a belt slip by. He’s not going to get younger. It doesn’t mean he can’t make another big fight or two and he won’t be an easy out.
Rold Picks 2019: 66-16
Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene, a founding member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com
