Deontay Wilder a True American Heavyweight Star with Win vs. Bermane Stiverne

For history’s sake, it became official at precisely 12:45 a.m. ET.

And when Jimmy Lennon Jr. dispensed with his recitation of the scorecards, it merely confirmed what the thousands in attendance and the millions tuning in had learned over the previous 36 minutes.

By dominating all but a few fleeting moments against a capable—if not exactly captivating—heavyweight title claimant in Bermane Stiverne, new World Boxing Council champion Deontay Wilder propelled himself toward a level not seen on U.S. shores since the prolonged demise of Mike Tyson.

Boxing star. Mainstream star. Superstar.

Though he had entered Saturday’s spotlight with an attention-grabbing 32 straight knockouts and had never gone more than four rounds against a cadre of has-beens and never-weres, the questions nonetheless far outnumbered the answers as Wilder donned an Eyes Wide Shut mask and strode to the ring.

What would happen if Stiverne didn’t fall down?

What would happen if Stiverne landed a punch?

And perhaps most importantly, what would happen over the long haul when Wilder met something more than the token resistance he’d grown used to since escalating from Olympian to pro in 2008?

As it turned out, the answers were exactly as Wilder had claimed they’d be all along.

Nothing. Nothing. And, well…nothing.

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“Everything they were asking about, I already knew,” he told Showtime’s Jim Gray in a post-fight, center-ring interview. “I knew I could go 12 rounds. I knew I could take a punch. That’s why we do all the work in training camp. When you get in here it’s supposed to be fun. I really did have fun tonight.”

Stiverne, on the other hand, most certainly did not.

Though he had established himself as the most legitimate player in the division aside from four-belt Ukrainian kingpin Wladimir Klitschko, the Haitian-born Las Vegas resident showed little of the mettle he’d displayed in consecutive defeats of previously overhyped American slugger Chris Arreola.

He was already three points behind before landing his first consequential punches in Round 4 but was then maddeningly unable to follow up on the momentum at any point thereafter—instead choosing to follow in his smartly mobile prey’s tracks rather than make any apparent effort to beat him to a spot.

He courageously absorbed hellacious shots and reserved enough energy for a trashy fight-long dialogue, but when it came time to back up his own pre-fight guarantees, Stiverne was woefully unprepared.   

Nonetheless, he told Gray afterward that it was more about him being flat than Wilder being transcendent. But in the unlikely event anyone within earshot believed him, it doesn’t matter.

In becoming the first American-born heavyweight to win a significant title since 2006, the fan-friendly and media-savvy Wilder instantly vaulted past the division’s existing domestic flotsam and positioned himself for the sort of eminence typically reserved for far more accomplished performers.

America loves its heavyweights. And after Saturday, America will soon love Wilder.

“I've never been a guy who really dwells on what people say, whether it's good or bad,” he said during fight week. “If it happens, it happens. I'll believe it when I see it. I know I'm good for the sport. I know I'm going to be a mega-superstar one day. But I'm not in that moment now. I'm still trying to work my way to it, so I don't want to get a big head or carried away about something that I haven't dwelled in yet. But when it does come, I'll just feel like it's a goal accomplished.”

Since Tyson's exit, only four U.S.-born fighters—Chris Byrd (2005), Hasim Rahman (2005), Lamon Brewster (2005) and Shannon Briggs (2006)—had won a single heavyweight title bout sanctioned by one of the five major organizations, and none of them won more than one.

In the meantime, the division has been ruled from Eastern Europe.

Vitali Klitschko held the WBC belt until his retirement left the vacancy Stiverne filled with his second defeat of Arreola. Wladimir, meanwhile, won the IBF and IBO titles in 2006 and has since picked up the WBO and WBA belts as part of an 11-year run in which he's won 21 straight fights.

The longing for another dominant American helped fuel the interest in Wilder, though Showtime analyst Al Bernstein said the bronze medalist's acumen had already warranted notice, even before Saturday.

Now, the sky is the limit.

“He has attracted attention mostly because a U.S. heavyweight champion has become a cause celeb,” Bernstein said. “But with the bronze medal in his pocket and all the KO wins—albeit against lesser competition—he has earned much of the attention. He will have a leg up on becoming a crossover star.”

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained firsthand.