How long will Deontay Wilder avoid the top heavyweights?

[Nubia]

Hopefully not as long as Wlad has been using his illegal leaning in/clinching tactics he's been using to tire out his opponents.

[yoz]

Wilder is a disgrace. He parachuted into a mandatory position, beat an injured fighter, in Stiverne, for Vitali's old strap, and has defended it since against nobodies.

What's more, he's started spouting unfounded and, frankly, offensive stuff about Joshua, Ortiz, Wladimir and Povetkin.

The guy is trash, and definitely packing china.

[BostonGuy]

Wilder is underrated.

He defeated the #3 heavyweight (http://www.tbrb.org/2015/10/10/13-january-2015/), Stiverne, for the WBC belt. That heavyweight is still rated #6 (http://www.tbrb.org/all-rankings/) today.

His first two defenses came vs. top-40 boxers. His next defense is vs. a top-20 boxer. After his next fight, he will fight the #2 heavyweight (http://www.tbrb.org/all-rankings/), Povetkin.

He also holds a win over Malik Scott, who is the #8 heavyweight (http://boxrec.com/records?reset=1&se...weight&status=) on BoxRec.

I saw BostonGuy threaten to leave Wilder's side earlier in this thread. I wonder if he did the same to Golovkin after he ducked Andre Ward to pick on retired WWs and blown-up JMWs?

Dude, don't come at me like that. First, I've been a Wilder fan from the beginning and I'm more of a fan of Deontay's than GGG i.e. I'm a hardcore Wilder fan. As to Golovkin I watch his fights and root for him but I have emotional interest invested in him.

I will say that I support Golovkin in his MW campaign. He's fought the best available opponents and it's not his fault many fighters avoid him.

[Pigeons]

Dude, don't come at me like that. First, I've been a Wilder fan from the beginning and I'm more of a fan of Deontay's than GGG i.e. I'm a hardcore Wilder fan. As to Golovkin I watch his fights and root for him but I have emotional interest invested in him.

I will say that I support Golovkin in his MW campaign. He's fought the best available opponents and it's not his fault many fighters avoid him.

It seems a lot of people think Wilder is protected, but he's fought more top-3 rated contenders (1) than the most popular fighter on this forum. He also has a mandatory against another top-3 rated contender in 2016. This means he'll have fought 2 top-3 rated heavyweights in a span of less than 1.5 years.

What more can people ask for?

[Pigeons]

Stiverne struggled with 40 something Ray Austin, his only "notable" win came over a SHOT Chris Arreola.

Stiverne knocked out Ray Austin. Then he dropped Arreola in their first fight, something that even future HOFer, Vitali Klitschko, couldn't do. Then in their rematch for a vacant heavyweight belt, Stiverne knocked out Arreola more violently and more impressively than Klitschko did. His ranking was deserved.

Why not a top ten, after all he's the WBC beltholder and it's his THIRD voluntary defense.

He signed to fight Glazkov, a universally recognized top-10 heavyweight, until Glazkov ducked out of the fight with only 6 weeks to go to fight a relatively unknown Charles Martin on the undercard to Wilder. That was cowardly.

So suddenly BoxRec is a good source, although you've ridiculed me for using it?

BoxRec is not an authoritative source, but it's a decent rule of thumb. I bet Scott is in the top 15 of some heavyweight rankings due to his easy victories over two former lineal heavyweight title challengers.

[BostonGuy]

It seems a lot of people think Wilder is protected, but he's fought more top-3 rated contenders (1) than the most popular fighter on this forum. He also has a mandatory against another top-3 rated contender in 2016. This means he'll have fought 2 top-3 rated heavyweights in a span of less than 1.5 years.

What more can people ask for?

That he fight his mandatory. It's a legitimate criticism.

[The Hammer]

Is he not fighting again this year because of an injury?

He made good money this year though, fighting a fringe contender (Szpilka) and a shot fighter (Arreola).