Deontay Wilder’s sixth defense of the WBC heavyweight title played out as expected – and then some.
The unbeaten American touched with prodigious power in both hands dropped Bermane Stiverne three times in a spectacularly violent display before referee Arthur Mercante Jr intervened with one second left in the opening round on Saturday night at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.
Afterward, Wilder (39-0, 38 KOs) was asked about the much-fancied heavyweight title unification bout with Britain’s Anthony Joshua, the IBF and WBA champion regarded by many as the division’s top dog since sending Wladimir Klitschko into retirement at Wembley Stadium earlier this year.
“I’ve been waiting on that fight for a long time now,” the 32-year-old Wilder said. “I declare war upon you. Do you accept my challenge? … I’ve been waiting for a long time. I know I’m the champion, I know I’m the best. Are you up for the test?”
He continued: “A king don’t chase the peasants. A king takes kings. I want Joshua. If he don’t give me the fight we have other plans … why should I go to England to fight a peasant without the king on the contract? The world want Joshua, the world want Wilder, I want Joshua. Joshua, come and see me baby. No more dodging, no more dodging, no more excuses … make the date, don’t wait.”
The Olympic bronze medalist from Alabama had won the WBC’s piece of the long-fractured heavyweight championship from Stiverne on points when they first met nearly three years ago. But the Stiverne who climbed through the ropes on Saturday was a silhouette of the fighter who had offered Wilder so game a challenge in their first meeting, the first and only time the chiseled American has been extended the distance before or since.
The Haiti-born, Las Vegas-based mandatory challenger had fought just once in the 34 months since – a less-than-scintillating points win over the journeyman Derric Rossy in 2015 – and celebrated his 39th birthday this week, uncomfortable truths which no doubt accounted for the 10-1 odds against him.
But on Saturday, the lone opponent to last 12 rounds with Wilder could not even make it through one.
Wilder came out firing with a stiff left jab as Stiverne fought off the back foot looking for opportunities to counter. Midway through the round Stiverne ventured forward into the pocket but immediately paid a toll as Wilder’s advantage in hand speed was laid bare. Before long the 6ft 7in champion uncorked a left-right combination that dumped Stiverne to the canvas in a heap.
Stiverne (25-3-1, 21 KOs) made it to his feet but Wilder barreled in and sent him clattering to the deck once more with another series of looping, clubbing lefts and rights. The challenger bravely beat the count as the end of the round drew near, but Wilder ensured he wouldn’t make it to the bell, closing the show with flurry of blows punctuated by a heat-seeking left hand that split Stiverne’s guard and left his fallen opponent senseless and in a daze amid cheers from the 10,924 spectators on hand.
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(@ShowtimeBoxing)Just like that. @BronzeBomber KOs Stiverne in the 1st. #WilderStiverne2 pic.twitter.com/r6PY4Mxx47
“He will put Anthony Joshua to sleep,” barked Lou DiBella, who promotes Wilder. “No one punches like him, no one has the reach he has, no one has the one-punch power he has. He’s the scariest heavyweight on the planet.
“He’s Anthony Joshua’s biggest test, he’s Anthony Joshua’s worst nightmare.”
The punch stats reflected the lopsided flavor of the affair: Wilder landed 15 of 39 punches according to CompuBox, while Stiverne threw a scant four punches and landed none. And while it will do little to dispel the persistent doubts over Wilder’s caliber of opposition, it was a visceral pageant that will redouble interest in a matchup with Joshua as the pair continue to set themselves apart as the two best on offer in boxing’s glamour division.
“I’m too athletic,” said Wilder, who earned a $1.4m purse for Saturday’s fight compared to $500,000 for Stiverne. “I told y’all I’m mobile, I’m hostile, I am the king baby and no heavyweight can compare to me. I’m very confident in what I do and tonight I showed that.”
Stiverne had emerged as Wilder’s mandatory challenger only after Saturday’s intended opponent, the heavy-handed Luis ‘King Kong’ Ortiz, flunked a drug test. Wilder had been dealt a similar bad hand last year when the former heavyweight belt-holder Alexander Povetkin tested positive for the banned substance meldonium ahead of their high-profile showdown in Moscow.
“So much frustration, it just seemed like my career, it’s been crazy … so many guys using PEDs,” Wilder said. “I just want to prove that I am the best. I know I am the best but I want to prove I am the best. One champion, one face, one name, he goes by Deontay Wilder.”
Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing, has suggested Wilder should first fight British contender Dillian Whyte, reportedly offering a $3m purse plus the US television rights to the American with a handshake deal to fight Joshua next, but DiBella dismissed that notion with contempt in Saturday’s aftermath.
“Stop with this Dillian Whyte shit,” DiBella said. “Who the fuck is Dillian Whyte? Come on, Eddie, let’s play. You want to do [Joshua-Wilder] at a soccer stadium in the UK, let’s do it. Deontay Wilder will put Anthony Joshua to sleep the same way he just put Stiverne to sleep.
“The winner of Joshua-Wilder is the real heavyweight champion. That fight has to happen. The boxing fans deserve it. We don’t want to wait.”
Shelly Finkel, Wilder’s veteran manager, said on Saturday they’re willing to accept Hearn’s offer to fight White first as long as Joshua is guaranteed next, but said that Hearn has repeatedly balked at the stipulation since the initial negotiations began six weeks ago.
“I’ve been in this game a long time,” said Finkel, who managed former heavyweight champions Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield and Michael Moorer. “If someone wants to fight, they fight. Joshua said he wants to fight Deontay next year. Deontay just finished his mandatory, you heard what he wants to do. Joshua finished his mandatory, you haven’t heard a word from him. If Joshua wants to fight, Deontay is ready. If it means the right deal to go to the UK, he’ll fight him on the moon. He’ll go anywhere to fight him and he said it.
“There’s no silence, there’s no avoiding. It’s up to Joshua and if it’s doesn’t happen, he has his reasons.”