Deontay Wilder Vs Nicolai Firtha. Stepping up???

Deontay Wilder Vs Nicolai Firtha.

 Will Wilder EVER Step UP?

It was announced this week that Wilder’s next fight will be on Oct 26^th on the undercard of the Hopkins Vs Furat against Nicolai Firtha (21-10-1, 8 KO’s).

As you can see from his record Firtha has TEN losses. Wilder will be having his 30^th pro fight against Firtha and is yet to step up to a level that could be classed anywhere near respectable.

Whilst Firtha is a tough cookie, he is just a journeyman and the level of fighter that Wilder should have fought two years ago, not now as he talks about taking control of the heavyweight scene. In fact Tyson Fury fought Firtha 2 years ago in his 15^th fight and beat him in the 5^th round. I take Wilder to win within 2 rounds.

I fail to see why his management have set this fight up. They have said that they couldn’t find any other opponent at this short notice, yet Kevin Johnson has said he would have taken the fight had he received a call. The call never came...

Wilder’s career and record is being carefully manufactured whilst it will and does look good on paper, if you look at the detail the quality of opponent has been awful. Biggest names on his CV are Harrison and Liakhovich. Not names that strike fear into any top 15 heavyweight in the world. However a record of 29 fights, 29 wins, 29 KOs will cause headlines and create a great deal of interest, meaning money and as well all know money talks!

Next year has to be the year that Wilder steps up. He has to start fighting top 20 ranked fighters, all these journeymen are OK when starting out but not after 30 fights and 5 years in the pro ranks. I’m pretty sure that the thought of beating Lamar Clarks record of 44 consecutive Kos has crossed his mind, but there is a bigger picture here. Wilder’s fans will tell you “BombSquad” is going to clean up in 2014, well not by fighting journeymen he won’t.

One possible opponent for Wilder could be David Price. Price told Ringside on SKY “I’d fight Deontay Wilder in a heartbeat. I know he’s a ferocious puncher, but so am I. I’m a big puncher, and I’d definitely fight Deontay Wilder.” Who would win is a debate for another time, it would raise the profile in Europe of Wilder, however I wonder how he’ll fair when he is eventually pushed past 4/5 rounds which he would be against a Chisora or an Adamek, would he have the stamina to continue or would he simply fade and get stopped?

If he doesn’t start to step it up then he may find his world crashing in around him leaving him nowhere to go.

I wish him well...

Bellew - Hype OR Hope?

Is he really as good as some think?

Tony "Bomber" Bellew

Tony Bellew is the 30 year old from Liverpool who seems to split opinion among boxing fans, he's a bit like marmite, you either love it or hate it.

He has a record of 22 fights, 20 wins (12 KOs), 1 loss and 1 draw. Is ranked the British number 1 by some at light heavy and in the top 5 of the world. Nathan Cleverly inflicted Bellew's only defeat and may have something to say about those Bellew rankings, especially as he is the WBO Champion, that I feel is for another day though...

Cleverly Vs Bellew for the WBO World Title.

In Bellew's last fight he fought the durable Isaac Chilemba in a rematch, their previous fight finished in a draw just 2 months previously and so determined was Bellew to right, what he perceived as a wrong that a rematch was hastily arranged for the Froch Vs Kessler undercard. My view is that he lost the first fight by a very close decision.

Bellew was stung by criticism of him in the first fight which is used as a positive motivational tool for his rematch. He said this after the win Vs Chilemba -

"I've been through hell and I've tortured myself since the last fight, I've had to put up with some stick with people doubting me on forums and on Twitter, but everyone questioned the wrong person. I went straight back into training camp and I've hated boxing these last eight weeks. The difference this time was I wasn't dead on my feet after seven rounds like I was before when I was lucky not to go out on a stretcher, but I will fight until I've not got anything left. You have to put me on the floor to beat me. I'm just so happy. I stuck with it and he didn't want it. “To all those internet trolls and all the people who have been amusing me on Twitter — stick it up your a**e."

With Bellew winning the Chilemba fight he is now the WBC mandatory challenger and should fight the winner of Chad Dawson Vs Adonis Stevenson which takes place in Canada on 6th June. 

Personally I think Bellew would be better off fighting Hopkins should he beat Murat on 13th July, as I feel the winner of Dawson Vs Stevenson, (I think Dawson), will be far too strong, quick and "ringwise" for Bellew. There would be a much bigger payday for Bellew fighting Hopkins in the UK than travelling over to the US or Canada to fight Dawson.

His promoter Eddie Hearn still says he will get his title shot Vs the Dawson/Stevenson winner - “He’s fighting the winner. It’s probably in October, November or December.” He told I Film London.

Chad Dawson - WBC Light Heavyweight World Champion

Bellew is ranked number 4 on BoxRec in the light heavy division, a ranking I feel is very generous. I would put Dawson, Cleverly, Stevenson, Murat and Hopkins all above him.

I personally don't think he has the power, the speed or the ring craft to beat the 5 I have mentioned above. He has heart and plenty of it there is no doubt about that, but does he have the tools? If he did I am sure we would have seen them by now.

I asked at the beginning is Bellew, hype or hope?

I believe he gets far too much hype especially by the SKY pundits, no doubt that is Hearn's doing and rightly so looking after one of his fighters, I do however have hope that he will one day show the ability to match his heart.

I wish him well...