Don't Call Deontay Wilder the Heavyweight Champion Just Yet

If you were watching Sunday Night Football on NBC, you could be forgiven for believing Deontay Wilder was defending the heavyweight championship of the world against Johann Duhaupas this weekend in Birmingham, Alabama.

After all, Al Micheals, one of the most respected sports broadcasters in the world, said it would be the first heavyweight championship fight on the network in 30 years. Premier Boxing Champions, the event's promoter, says much the same in the ad that airs often on the network—quite explicitly, in fact, making Wilder seem like a magical cross between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, the man who will save boxing from itself.

With due respect, that's complete nonsense. 

Yes, Wilder (34-0, 33 KO) carries a title belt to the ring with him when he fights. Technically, he's the World Boxing Council kingpin. And there are probably a few people who call him "champ" with a straight face. 

But by any measure, there is only one meaningful world heavyweight champion. His name is Wladimir Klitschko, and he's been the International Boxing Federation titleholder since April 22, 2006. In subsequent years, he's added baubles from the WBA, WBO and The Ring magazine. In boxing's long history, only Joe Louis sat on the throne longer.

Frank Franklin II/Associated Press

You could write a book about why Klitschko hasn't made it big in America. And while ethnicity and an overall dearth of quality opposition are both big problems, the root issue is all about style. He's a cautious, defensive fighter whose dominance is a product of doing everything in his power to avoid the kind of fireworks boxing fans demand. 

While Klitschko may fail to get fans' blood pumping, he's still the champion. No flashy highlight packages or television hype can change that. He'll remain king until he either walks away from the sport or someone steps up and knocks the crown right off his head. 

Many people are hoping the "someone" to accomplish that mission is the 29-year-old Wilder. He's the kind of explosive puncher promoters crave, a point underscored by his first 32 fights—all knockouts. 

Most of those wins, critics point out, came against bodies that were barely warm. It's not coincidence, they say, that the first time Wilder was in the ring with a solid professional, Bermane Stiverne, he was pushed to the final bell for the first time.

A win is a win, and Wilder walked away from that fight in January with Stiverne's WBC title belt. But, as the Huffington Post's Lucy McCalmont pointed out, Wilder still hasn't converted all his many skeptics into believers:

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Wilder's critics say there's less to him than meets the eye and say he's fought weak opponents. Yahoo Sports questioned his title defense against Molina, a "no-hoper" and a "non-entity." The Living Daylights, sports outlet FanSided's boxing site, has reported that Wilder and his team are "circumnavigating legitimate opponents," a claim Wilder and his trainers dismiss. ...

Even Wilder's fellow champs have doubted him. "We have to see what happens when he gets hit back," [Mike] Tyson said in 2014, according to Showtime. "Anyone can knock someone out, even my 3-year-old son."

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The world is waiting for Klitschko and Wilder to meet in the ring, to see if youth and power can top craft and wisdom. Instead, Wilder will step into the ring against Duhaupas, an unknown Frenchman who lost a decision to another nondescript fighter just six months ago in Germany. 

It's a matchup so ridiculous that even Klitschko himself felt compelled to criticize it publicly, something that didn't sit well with Wilder. 

"My brother brought that to my attention, and I laughed," Wilder said on a conference call. "I almost laughed all day about it, because for him to make that statement...is for him to really criticize his own self. ... He's been doing the same thing for over a decade. He's been fighting guys we don't know names of or how to pronounce or where they came from. They came out of a rabbit box, you know. So for him to say that is very laughable to me."

While Klitschko is not completely innocent when it comes to carefully hand-picking opponents, he'll next fight undefeated up-and-comer Tyson Fury on HBO, although a recent Klitschko injury has postponed the bout. Fury is the kind of fighter fans would like to see Wilder take on: a legitimate one who's earned his place in the spotlight.

Instead, Wilder and PBC have given us an overmatched Eric Molina and Duhaupas and hope no one will notice.

Record	34-0 (33 KO)
Knockout Percentage	97 percent
Birthdate	Oct. 22, 1985
Professional Debut	Nov. 15, 2008
Height	6'7"
Weight	229 pounds
Reach	83 inches
Rounds Fought	79

"I don't care about what other people think about it...especially if you haven't been in the ring before," Wilder said. "I don't really care. I don't care about what people write, I don't care about what people say. I don't even read anything. All I do is train, and that's my life.

"I'm winning. I'm winning in the ring, and I'm winning in life, and my family is taken care of, so as long as those things continue to happen, I'm happy."

That's all good for now. But, in time, Wilder will be forced to face the few tough challenges the division offers. Whether it's Klitschko, Fury or rising prospect Anthony Joshua, Wilder will at some point have an opportunity to silence all of his doubters. 

But until he does, Wilder doesn't deserve to be called champion. For more than 100 years, the heavyweight champion has been one of the most important athletes in the world. And while that glory is fading, it's still a title that demands respect—and carries with it an honor that can only be earned in the ring.

Jonathan Snowden covers combat sports for Bleacher Report.