Wilder, Stiverne Both Eye Early KOes In Their WBC Heavyweight Title Fight
WBC heavyweight champion Bermane Stiverne and challenger Deontay Wilder both vow to register early knockouts
Saying that he doesn't get paid for overtime work, WBC heavyweight title challenger Deontay Wilder vows to crush champion Bermane Stiverne within four rounds in their Jan. 17 clash at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Wilder said that there is bad blood between the two of them and that he also wants to hurt Stiverne.
If he wins, Wilder (32-0, 32 KOs) will become the American heavyweight champions since Shannon Briggs in 2007, who eventually lost his WBO title to Sultan Ibragimov on a unanimous decision. Nicknamed the "Bronze Bomber", in reference to bronze medal he won in the 2008 Olympics, the 6-7 Wilder knocked out Jason Gavern in four rounds in his last outing.
However, the chink on Wilder's armor is that he hasn't been tested against anyone of note just yet. Wilder, 29, scored a first-round knockout over Malik Scott, who was 36-1-1 before their fight. But Scott is not even ranked among the top 15 heavyweights. He also knocked out ex-WBO heavyweight Siarhei Liakhovich in the first round, but the latter was 38 and way past his prime when they fought. If he beats Stiverne, Wilder says he doesn't want to hear anymore comments about the poor quality of his opponents.
Wilder added that a motivation for him is to fulfill the promise to his six-year-old daughter Naieya that he will become world heavyweight champion. He called his Naieya his number one fan.Wilder also found a big believer in former world heavyweight Buster Douglas, who says that Wilder has a very good chance of bringing the heavyweight crown back to the United States. Douglas, who knocked out Mike Tyson in 1990 to become the undisputed world heavyweight champion, said he will be surely tuning in on the Wilder-Stiverne fight.
The 36-year-old Stiverne (24-1-1, 21 knockouts) scored a sixth-round technical knockout Chris Arreola to win the WBC strap and become first world heavyweight champion of Haitian descent.He will make his first defense and likewise promises a quick, painful knockout win over Wilder. Stiverne said he had four videos of sparring sessions of Wilder that shows his real abilities, including one where the latter gets knocked out and seriously hurt.
