Grade Deontay Wilder's performance last nite

[New England]

Wilder just isn't that good right now. With his power it's hard to count him out of any fight, but I can't imagine he's ready for what Golden Boy sounds like they want to throw him in to.

they've been talking like that for years now. it's just publicity. expect wilder on showtime undercards against top 50-25ish guys until he steps up in late 2014 or in 2015 to a contender. more knockouts. then he'll look for a world title, and i'd bet money they won't be looking at wladimir right away.

[The Gambler1981]

i think they're moving him well right now. the guy still hardly knows how to box. i don't care if he's got 130 fights. a guy who can't box yet is a guy who can't box yet.

he's been matched recently with the intention of getting him rounds. that's exactly what i'd be doing.


if you move him too quickly he will lose. he's an american HW with talent in his mid 20's. if they move him right he's going to become a very rich man. the only thing that will ruin him right now is moving him too quickly. doing what they're doing is not ruining him. you might not have the patience for it, but it is not ruining him. he cannot box yet. he is getting better. he needs rounds.


when i say "he needs rounds" that doesn't mean he needs to be thrown to the wolves. "getting rounds" is something thats done against guys who are supposed to lose, but are good enough that you can't bomb them out without having to work for it.


wilder has boxed 53 round as a pro, man. 53.

Exactly, he is like 28 which is just a young pup at heavy he should be fighting a guy like Dominick Guinn and then perhaps a guy like Seth Mitchell to keep his confidence up and then a guy like Kevin Mitchell. There are other routes to go but something along those lines.

[King_]

i think they're moving him well right now. the guy still hardly knows how to box. i don't care if he's got 130 fights. a guy who can't box yet is a guy who can't box yet.

he's been matched recently with the intention of getting him rounds. that's exactly what i'd be doing.


if you move him too quickly he will lose. he's an american HW with talent in his mid 20's. if they move him right he's going to become a very rich man. the only thing that will ruin him right now is moving him too quickly. doing what they're doing is not ruining him. you might not have the patience for it, but it is not ruining him. he cannot box yet. he is getting better. he needs rounds.


when i say "he needs rounds" that doesn't mean he needs to be thrown to the wolves. "getting rounds" is something thats done against guys who are supposed to lose, but are good enough that you can't bomb them out without having to work for it.


wilder has boxed 53 round as a pro, man. 53.

He's been moved well. Everybody agrees that he's a very raw boxer and he needed to be moved at this pace. The problem is, why throw him straight into a fight with someone like Stiverne? if they've been bringing him up this way, there is absolutely no reason to stop and to not step up at a normal pace. He needs to fight top 75, 50, 25, etc... Before even thinking about stepping up to a guy like Stiverne.

With that said, me personally I can't really take anything away from his fights so far because he simply hasn't fought a guy who boxes for a living yet (aside from a shot Liakovich and Audley) and because of that, I think it would be absolutely foolish for him to step up to someone like Stiverne (if that's what they're planning)

[New England]

These aren't opponents who can give him rounds. These are guys who're part time boxers, old as hell, haven't fought in a while and are just brought in to get KO'd.
Firtha's a step up though, only 34 and had a lay off less than a year. Hopefully they'll at least stick to something like that and no go back to guys who've been off for years and old as hell

firtha went four rounds. he went the distance with banks and povetkin.

liakhovich was absolutely expected to go rounds. he was usually a durable guy. he went several rounds with jennings, and really taught him some things.

you are going to have to be patient, man. these guys don't learn how to box overnight.

[Money Shot]

I gave Wilder a B, but you can see there are big holes in his style that will be exposed by the top 10 heavies. He can tee off on low ranked guys with these wild shots but he wouldn't get away with that sloppiness at the top level.

[Hougigo]

Is Jameel McCline too much? He can give rounds, he's 43, but he still has some left in the tank.
I'd lean on the yes side considering Wilder's opponents....seeing what you guys think

[-PBP-]

Is Jameel McCline too much? He can give rounds, he's 43, but he still has some left in the tank.
I'd lean on the yes side considering Wilder's opponents....seeing what you guys think

They spar with each other. I guess McCline could use a payday.

[edgarg]

I've followed Deontay Wilder since he made his pro debut in '08. It's been tough to gauge how decent a fighter he is, since most of his fights end within 2 rounds and his competition has been dismal, at best.

Last night we learned a lot about this guy. We saw him against an opponent who didn't fold under pressure the first time he was hit. Firtha is a tough dude and came out with guns blazin' in the first round and made Wilder somewhat uncomfortable. However, beyond that, Firtha didn't have much to offer really. By round two he was barely throwing punches and seemed to be in survival mode for the remainder of the fight. The punches he did throw weren't very sharp and did little to dissuade the Bronze Bomber.

OK, let's talk about Wilder. I was disappointed. He doesn't have the look of boxer. His punches didn't look natural and fluid and it seemed like his muscular physique somewhat constricts the natural motion. He looks like more of a body builder than boxer.

He throws the jab with a side-arm motion so it's more a flick than a straight jab. His footwork and defense seem to be suspect as well.

Alright, let's talk about some of the pros. In an era where people frequently criticize a fighter's condition, Wilder is a specimen of peak physical condition. He's in tremendous shape and doesn't have an ounce of fat on him. Wilder is also super aggressive and his power is undeniable; he also has the "killer instinct" that many of his peers lack. Wilder likes landing the huge punch and knocking guys out.

That said, he is nowhere near a title shot IMO. He needs to despartely step it up against a credible opponent; someone like Boystov, Helenius, Mago, Wach, Dimitrenko. He hasn't fought anyone who has put up any semblance of resistance. He needs to be tested (more than once) before he gets into the ring with a top opponent like Wlad.

How is Firtha so tough. This was his 5th fight in 2 years of which he'd lost 3.......THREE. and his record was 21 qins 10 losses, of which 4 FOUR were by KO.......

Your post is very contradictory. Your description of the fight is the opposite to your first sentence..... Tough..... perhaps the reason he didn't fold immediately is because he's a grade up from the resurrected corpses Wilder has been "fighting.." maybe he was the next grade..a "stiff". The next grade up from stiff is "tomato-can". Then he can begin on the putty jawed, beaten down former contenders, and by the time he's had about 40 fights he should be ready for his big night.

[Hougigo]

They spar with each other. I guess McCline could use a payday.

Then he can be used as a measuring stick to the other undefeated KO HW

[TBear]

I've followed Deontay Wilder since he made his pro debut in '08. It's been tough to gauge how decent a fighter he is, since most of his fights end within 2 rounds and his competition has been dismal, at best.

Last night we learned a lot about this guy. We saw him against an opponent who didn't fold under pressure the first time he was hit. Firtha is a tough dude and came out with guns blazin' in the first round and made Wilder somewhat uncomfortable. However, beyond that, Firtha didn't have much to offer really. By round two he was barely throwing punches and seemed to be in survival mode for the remainder of the fight. The punches he did throw weren't very sharp and did little to dissuade the Bronze Bomber.

OK, let's talk about Wilder. I was disappointed. He doesn't have the look of boxer. His punches didn't look natural and fluid and it seemed like his muscular physique somewhat constricts the natural motion. He looks like more of a body builder than boxer.

He throws the jab with a side-arm motion so it's more a flick than a straight jab. His footwork and defense seem to be suspect as well.

Alright, let's talk about some of the pros. In an era where people frequently criticize a fighter's condition, Wilder is a specimen of peak physical condition. He's in tremendous shape and doesn't have an ounce of fat on him. Wilder is also super aggressive and his power is undeniable; he also has the "killer instinct" that many of his peers lack. Wilder likes landing the huge punch and knocking guys out.

That said, he is nowhere near a title shot IMO. He needs to despartely step it up against a credible opponent; someone like Boystov, Helenius, Mago, Wach, Dimitrenko. He hasn't fought anyone who has put up any semblance of resistance. He needs to be tested (more than once) before he gets into the ring with a top opponent like Wlad.

I agree. Wilder is a fun fighter to watch and should pound his way into the top ten, but!

To reach the top level there is a lot more required than successful offence. Wilder still needs to learn the basics. Could he move and box for ten rounds?
When will he learn to use the jab to set up punches? After a loss?

We seen many heavyweights rise up through the ranks on aggression and power only to learn hard way. Often by then it is too late to go back and learn the basics. Michael Grant and Derrick Jefferson both are prime examples of this.

It kind of makes me think either his trainer does not know what he is doing or they are moving him carefully til they can secure a big payday. Wilder does have a long way to go before going for the belt, especially if he wants any chance to hold it.

That being said, Wilder is entertaining and exciting and if nothing changes with give us quite a ride. If nothing changes however, the ride will not be a long one.