Deontay Wilder vs. Bermane Stiverne: A New Era in Heavyweight Boxing

Saturday, Jan. 17, Bermane Stiverne (24-1-1, 21 KOs) will defend his WBC heavyweight title against the dynamic American Deontay Wilder (32-0, 32 KOs).

This fight is receiving more publicity and attention than any other heavyweight bout in recent history. Both men provide entertaining bouts that typically end in knockouts. Stiverne has an 80 percent KO rating, and Wilder has a 100 percent KO rating. He has the longest KO streak in heavyweight boxing history.

But people don't just want to see this fight because of its seemingly inevitable knockout conclusion. This fight has symbolic purpose: the hope of a restored faith in heavyweight boxing.

Wladimir Klitschko (63-3, 53 KOs) has had a stranglehold on the heavyweight division over the last 10 years. He has dominated his opposition in that time, but general opinion tends to view his opposition as weak. Other than Klitschko, there hasn't been a heavyweight that has excited the public—until now.

Stiverne and Wilder are unknown quantities. Stiverne has people believing in him because he has twice beaten contender Chris Arreola.

People want to believe in Wilder because he is a physical specimen, and his statistics are eye-catching to say the least. The problem lies in the perception of Wilder's opposition.

Boxing pundits are quick to dismiss the biggest names on Wilder's record. The only former titleholder that Wilder has faced is Siarhei Liakhovich, who briefly held the WBO heavyweight title in 2006. The problem is that he lost it in his next fight, lost six times since 2006 and was knocked out in four of those losses.

To be fair, other than Arreola, Stiverne's opposition is not that impressive either, which many people aren't afraid to point out. Ray Austin is the next biggest name on Stiverne's record, but Austin has been knocked out in three of his six losses. 

In terms of opposition, I would call it a draw between Stiverne and Wilder.

When handicapping this fight, I think the factor that will have the biggest impact on the end result is physicality. Stiverne is 6'2" and will likely weigh anywhere between 230 and 245 pounds. He has an 80-inch reach.

Wilder is nearly 6'7" and will probably weigh in between 220 and 225 pounds. He has an 83-inch reach. 

Wilder's height and reach advantage are going to be key reasons as to why he will beat Stiverne. Stiverne will have to punch up in order to hit Wilder in the head. This will take some of the steam off of Stiverne's punches. Look for his power to be affected.

Wilder will likely take position in the center of the ring and utilize his three-inch reach advantage. He will look to keep Stiverne at a distance and at the end of his punches.

Wilder is frequently doubted because he has never been hurt in 32 fights, leaving many to wonder if he can take a punch. I think this is a testament to Wilder's defensive and offensive skills.

His offense is his defense. In his last several fights, he has been calmer and more willing to keep his opponents at bay with straight punches. Usually, one of these punches breaks through his opponent's defense and severely hurts them. That's when he pounces and throws haymakers. Look for him to do the same against Stiverne. 

Stiverne has taken punishment in past fights and has been able to weather the storm. However, he has also proven to be an easy target.

In his last fight against Arreola, Stiverne was losing the fight going into the sixth round. This is something that many people forget. He was getting hit with clean shots by Arreola. He will not be able to take the same amount of punishment from Wilder. Wilder has a lot more power than Arreola.

Jeremy Herriges

I spent a day in Wilder's training camp in late December, and I was impressed with Wilder's athleticism. The public has only seen a small sampling of Wilder's athleticism, since he has never fought past the fourth round in his professional career. 

While training, I noticed that Wilder is much more swift afoot than what I have seen in his bouts. When he desires, he is able to get on his toes and dance around the ring. At this point, no one has ever given him a reason to retreat. He moves incredibly well for someone of his height.

It is hard to tell who has better hand speed between Stiverne and Wilder. Both have thrown a large series of powerful combinations in previous bouts. Stiverne's punches tend to be more accurate, but I believe that Wilder has better one-punch knockout power. 

In Stiverne's last five fights, he knocked out one of his opponents in the first round and earned two knockouts after the fifth round. He also fought to two unanimous decisions.

In Wilder's last five fights, he has knocked out all of his opponents prior to the fifth round. In fact, as was previously mentioned, he has never been past the fourth round in a professional fight. This could be considered a question mark. Many want to know how Wilder's stamina will hold up past four rounds, but his knockout power has to be noted.

The final advantage that Wilder has over Stiverne is youth. Wilder is 29 years old, while Stiverne is 36.

Wilder has fought in eight more professional bouts than Stiverne, but has taken a lot less punishment over the course of his career. Wilder has never been in trouble, while Stiverne has been hurt several times. Stiverne was knocked out by Demetrice King in 2007 and was hurt several times by Arreola in his last fight. This shows Wilder to be the fresher boxer of the two.

With all of these factors in mind, Wilder will knockout Stiverne in the fifth round. Stiverne's movement and hand speed will allow him to stay alive longer than Wilder's previous opponents, but he will not be able to get inside Wilder's reach. If Wilder can connect on half the amount of punches that Arreola landed in his last fight with Stiverne, then Stiverne is going to get seriously hurt.

Anticipate seeing a new threat in the heavyweight division. If Wilder can dispose of Stiverne in impressive fashion, then I think a new star will rise in boxing. He just might be the heavyweight force that boxing fans have been waiting for.