Question for Black / African-American Boxing Fans

For years America has been waiting for a marketable heavyweight champion and we finally got it with Deontay Wilder. I think the reason the black community gravitated towards Wilder is because he is cool, charismatic, spiritual, and owns being a country boy. Wilder represented himself and the culture well as a fighting family man with dynamite in his hands. Wilder chose to embrace the bronze bomber ego because he knew no black fighter would ever be embraced in America as a good guy. So he marketed himself as a dangerous man in the ring. As far as the fight with Fury, I like many others was disappointed but it's nothing he can't come back from. When it's all said and done Wilder will one day be in the boxing hall of fame.

The problem is that this LDBC or LGBT or whatever they’re called probably give a bad representation of what real boxing fans are when it comes to black folk supporting boxers. They’re just a tiny deluded group of people. I don’t know why anybody with an IQ above 80 takes any notice of them. I’m sure the majority of boxing fans or any race or nationality are just rational and logical and understand Wilder got whooped but understand that it’s part of the game. I agree with this. It feels like the LDBC - or at least the extreme among them - really made things toxic and, as you said, are a poor representation. I respect the agenda behind supporting groups of people, but there's ways to go about things without the twisting, agendas, often race baiting etc. If you want to help your people, don't do it by trying to alienate everyone else.

I know that Wilder has always tried to represent his people and culture, much like Canelo does for Mexicans or Fury does for Gypsy’s. There’s nothing wrong with that; I actually think it’s a beautiful thing if done correctly. I want to know what African-American / Black posters on this site feel about his reactions to his first loss. I am not African-American, and although I have a bit of a mixed heritage with some Afro-Latin, I really don’t feel Wilder represents me or my culture. My wife has some distant African-American heritage but wasn’t raised in the culture or anything. So to my friends who really felt represented by Wilder, how do you feel about his excuses? I’m not going to bash anyone’s feelings or opinions, I just really want to know. I fear for him that he will lose many of his fans but want to know what people think. Stephen Smith doesn’t seem happy with him so I assume other people may not be either. Floyd Mayweather doesn’t care about black people.

I'm African American and I actually used to cheer for Wilder when he first won the belt. He was a bit humble, seemed like a decent dude and he was on his way up. But after about 3 whack defenses against bums, I saw the writing on the wall for this guy. What sealed it for me was when he turned down 120 million and unification. That plus him avoiding Whyte, Haye, Povetkin, Pulev, Parker or anyone else with a pulse. And people are shocked by his excuses now but if you look back at it, he has been giving excuses for years now. "Betting on himself" and "kings don't fights pawns" and "loyalty" as reasons to not fight the best heavyweights. He's been a fraud for years now and people bought into the hype instead of looking at it with logic. Who in their right mind would turn down 2 fights for all the belts and getting paid 10 times what you make in a normal fight? There was never a good excuse for that and there still isn't. If Wilder represented American black folks then we would have flocked to his fights, like they came out for Ali's fights in the 70's. But you don't get fame and respect from fighting the likes of Molina, Szpilka and the rest instead of fighting AJ, Klitschko and the rest. That's what Wilder and/or his team never understood. I am not a Fury fan but I was SOOOO glad he beat the tar off this chump because now there is at least a chance that we will see a fight for all the marbles soon. Wilder held that belt hostage and ransom for 5 years How did he duck Povetkin, that dude tested for PEDs. As far as White we know he was trying to fight Joshua and Eddy was playing games. I think you're reaching. The two three toughest fights of his career he had rematches and that tells me more about a fighter than anything else

Wilder took the path of least resistance when it came to building a fanbase. Its easier to hide in the racial identity shadows than to step into the light and be respected for your character. His whole black power identity ring was was a pathetic demonstration of his insecurity and naivety as a professional athlete. No wonder he needed a guy like Fury to get a decent payday, nobody was buying his crap until then.

True but I find that to be amazing. It took a special fighter, that was bigger and better to hand him a loss. I know it's time to dump on him but what he has achieved has been remarkable. Hell yeah. For a guy with such low skills set he went very far. I give him that. Plus he's a warrior. He didnt fold.

True but I find that to be amazing. It took a special fighter, that was bigger and better to hand him a loss. I know it's time to dump on him but what he has achieved has been remarkable. No one who started boxing as an adult(20) has accomplished more than Wilder in a combined amateur and professional career. He overachieved. EDIT: Joshua is also impressive starting at 18.

Remember Wilder ssying, I only need to be perfect for 1 second. This guy kept disrespecting the sport and paid the price. Of course he has all the bs excuse but he got totally destroyed and I am celebrating it. You can't rely on landing one punch all your career. The guy skills is pure trash with sick power... thats all he has. True but I find that to be amazing. It took a special fighter, that was bigger and better to hand him a loss. I know it's time to dump on him but what he has achieved has been remarkable.

I totally agree with everything you wrote. To go further and perhaps more importantly, this shows me that he will never improve. If you can't see your faults you won't know what to correct. Tyson in a draw saw holes in his game. He didn't do the immediate rematch and eventually found the right trainer to maximize his talents. Exactly. Instead of talking about not being able to defend himself against Fury's attack, he's blaming Breland and Dirrell for stopping the fight. He doesn't seem to realize at that point his toughness was working against him. Taking all those shots to the head would only cause permanent damage and prevent him from having any chance at resurrecting his career, not to mention being able to play and talk t his kids FFS.

as a black man, he under delivered. excuse me, we're talking about the color of the skin and not the color of your teeth... which we call cavities, idiot! :moon:

I totally agree with everything you wrote. To go further and perhaps more importantly, this shows me that he will never improve. If you can't see your faults you won't know what to correct. Tyson in a draw saw holes in his game. He didn't do the immediate rematch and eventually found the right trainer to maximize his talents. Remember Wilder ssying, I only need to be perfect for 1 second. This guy kept disrespecting the sport and paid the price. Of course he has all the bs excuse but he got totally destroyed and I am celebrating it. You can't rely on landing one punch all your career. The guy skills is pure trash with sick power... thats all he has.

this is true, but thats boxing! always has been always will be

wilder represented america! i know many wilder fans of all races. america needs all the boxers it can get so it was only natural to root for wilder unless you have some kind of bias against him. bullsh it. he entered the ring dressed like a wakandian witch doctor

Really good post. Wilder losing doesn't affect the culture in any way. He lost a fight. The way Fury fought elevated the HWT division and thus the sport. It also elevated British boxing. As for his excuses, they are embarrassing for him and reveal his true character. He is blaming everyone rather than taking responsibility for the loss. He needs to get off social media and then hold a press conference, own everything, and move forward. IMO he's lost any chance of being the next face of AMerican boxing, even if he were to win the 3rd fight, which I highly doubt. I totally agree with everything you wrote. To go further and perhaps more importantly, this shows me that he will never improve. If you can't see your faults you won't know what to correct. Tyson in a draw saw holes in his game. He didn't do the immediate rematch and eventually found the right trainer to maximize his talents.

as a black man, he under delivered.

I know that Wilder has always tried to represent his people and culture, much like Canelo does for Mexicans or Fury does for Gypsy’s. There’s nothing wrong with that; I actually think it’s a beautiful thing if done correctly. I want to know what African-American / Black posters on this site feel about his reactions to his first loss. I am not African-American, and although I have a bit of a mixed heritage with some Afro-Latin, I really don’t feel Wilder represents me or my culture. My wife has some distant African-American heritage but wasn’t raised in the culture or anything. So to my friends who really felt represented by Wilder, how do you feel about his excuses? I’m not going to bash anyone’s feelings or opinions, I just really want to know. I fear for him that he will lose many of his fans but want to know what people think. Stephen Smith doesn’t seem happy with him so I assume other people may not be either. I personally didn't care for his excuses and if anything he should take a page from some of the heroes he displayed during his ring entrance. He can do that by: 1. Owning the loss 2. Watching film of the fight and 3. Improving his skill set He blames Mark Breland for throwing in the towel yet he fails to accept his part in WHY Breland threw in the towel. (Hint: It wasn't because Wilder was competitive) I believe that Deontay Wilder can come back from the loss; he just needs to take a page from Anthony Joshua. Block out the ridicule, recover, get back in the gym and improve.

The first knockdown isn't controversial. If you expose the illegal part of your head(turning or bending down) while your opponent is throwing a punch then it is considered a legal blow. Same situation with Wilder's first knockdown of Fury in their first fight. The rule is in place to prevent fighters from using illegal defensive tactics like turning away or ducking down below their opponents waist. As far as roughhouse tactics, that's been apart of boxing for as long as I can remember. Yeah, after he got hit with the power jab in round 1, wilder was doing anything he could to avoid it further. Sadly for him, the only defensive move he knows are hugging, holding and bending over. He lacked any of the subtle head movement to avoid shots or rolling with them to negate the effect.

The problem is that this LDBC or LGBT or whatever they’re called probably give a bad representation of what real boxing fans are when it comes to black folk supporting boxers. They’re just a tiny deluded group of people. I don’t know why anybody with an IQ above 80 takes any notice of them. I’m sure the majority of boxing fans or any race or nationality are just rational and logical and understand Wilder got whooped but understand that it’s part of the game.

Most of us black fight fans knew Wilder wasn't very skilled and getting by on power. Its not surprising he would get beat someday, plenty of us thought he lost the first fight. What is surprising to most is Fury deciding to become a pressure fighter. That is something fans and experts of all races didn't believe he would do. Really good post. Wilder losing doesn't affect the culture in any way. He lost a fight. The way Fury fought elevated the HWT division and thus the sport. It also elevated British boxing. As for his excuses, they are embarrassing for him and reveal his true character. He is blaming everyone rather than taking responsibility for the loss. He needs to get off social media and then hold a press conference, own everything, and move forward. IMO he's lost any chance of being the next face of AMerican boxing, even if he were to win the 3rd fight, which I highly doubt.

Thanks for your reply. I had picked Wilder to win a decision, thought he would box better and go to the body more and maybe score another knockdown. I was as surprised as anyone. Do you feel Fury fought dirty? I know the first knockdown was a bit controversial, but I don’t think he was aiming for the back of his head when he turned all of the sudden. Fury did well I feel and showed some shades of two of my favorites, Andre Ward and B-Hop, but I know that style is not everyone’s cup of tea. I think Wilder would have been best off not saying anything more than he said after the fight, recovered, got back to the gym and maybe hired a new trainer who could help him with his inside game. The first knockdown isn't controversial. If you expose the illegal part of your head(turning or bending down) while your opponent is throwing a punch then it is considered a legal blow. Same situation with Wilder's first knockdown of Fury in their first fight. The rule is in place to prevent fighters from using illegal defensive tactics like turning away or ducking down below their opponents waist. As far as roughhouse tactics, that's been apart of boxing for as long as I can remember.