The power of Deontay Wilder

There is no doubt that much of the boxing world would love to see Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua go head-to-head in the squared circle, and with Wilder’s recent comments, it’s looking increasingly likely that we will get the chance to witness it.

Wilder is the current WBC heavyweight champion, and has put in some powerful displays in his career record of 41 wins, one draw and zero losses. He has held the championship for over four years, successfully defending it on nine occasions.

His rival Anthony Joshua faces Andy Ruiz Jr on 1st June in New York, and the odds on Paddy Power make AJ the heavy favourite. If he successfully defends his championships, we could well see the biggest title fight in years. AJ will need to think of a way to evade the power of Deontay Wilder.

Heavy-handed

Watch one of Wilder’s matches and you’ll see that he really does hit hard. During his match against Luis Ortiz – a fight in which both men were undefeated – he was slowly able to build up momentum until he began to hit Ortiz with some huge right hands.

Of course, it wasn’t plain sailing for Wilder, as he received some heavy blows himself, causing him to stumble in some of the later rounds. He defeated Ortiz in the 10th round by technical knockout, providing him with arguably his most impressive result to date.

He met his match in British boxer Tyson Fury, with the two heavyweights trading blows throughout much of the contest. The Bronze Bomber managed to knock the Gypsy King to the ground a couple of times, but ultimately, the two were evenly matched and fought to a draw.

You could see at times that Wilder was somewhat sloppy with his strikes. Yes, he had the power behind them, but wildly swinging his arms leaves him vulnerable to counters, something that Fury utilised at times.

His chances against Joshua

He has the power, but his poor strikes could cost him if the fight with AJ is agreed. The English boxer has a much calmer approach to his fights, maintaining the strength, while also waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

His defence might be weak at times, but with a long reach and power behind it, he can easily strike a knockout blow on the counter. It’d be a close match between the two – should it materialise – but AJ just appears the cleaner boxer, where Wilder is wild by name and wild by nature.

The Bronze Bomber can, at times, be accused of wind-milling – swinging his arms around like mad in the hope of landing a clean strike. Joshua is the polar opposite and conserves his energy to hit a big punch in the later rounds.

Wilder would need to adapt his style if he were to have a good chance of defeating AJ. If you take a look at the list of fighters Joshua has conquered, it’s obvious to see that he has talent. A calm style has seen him rise to the top so far, forcing other boxers to adapt their style. Should the two remain undefeated when they clash, expect it to be one of the greatest fights ever.

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