Give Credit to Team Wilder for Being Patient

Published

10 years ago

January 20, 2015

Deontay Wilder captured the hearts and imaginations of many in the boxing public on Saturday night by becoming the first American to hold a portion of the heavyweight championship of the world since Shannon Briggs held the WBO title back in 2006.

Wilder earned a clear decision win over Bermane Stiverne at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas by being just about everything he and his handlers hoped he could be when the 6’7” former football player from Alabama turned pro in 2008 after stunningly capturing the bronze medal at the Beijing Olympics.

When I talked to Wilder’s manager, Jay Deas, back in 2011, Wilder was three years into his prizefighting career but still lacked the necessary tutelage to move past anything tougher than the local show circuit, something that had begun to frustrate many boxing fans and media alike.

To Wilder’s credit, the late starter knew what he was up against. When he turned professional in 2008, he told ESPN.com he knew he still had a lot to learn about the sweet science. After all, he had just walked into a boxing gym for the first time back in 2005 when he was 20 years old.

“My game plan right now is take it slow,” Wilder said. “I’m just turning pro. …I’ll learn some different things.”

Despite being as green as he was back then, Wilder showed promise at the 2008 Olympics. He earned a bronze medal in the super heavyweight division, and remains the last American male to earn boxing hardware at the Olympic Games.

There was a lot to like about Wilder. He was tall, had long arms and ridiculous power. Maybe even more importantly, Wilder was legitimately a great athlete. He wasn’t just a chiseled frame. He possessed superb reflexes and hand-eye coordination, the kind which any boxing trainer would salivate over.

It’d be easy to put such a natural physical specimen, especially one who managed to do so well on the world stage as an amateur after such a short period of time, into deep waters too early. But Deas and company, including co-manager Shelly Finkel and trainer Mark Breland, knew better than that. They knew they didn’t just have a decent heavyweight who could earn a few bucks here and there. No, they knew they had a fighter who could one day become heavyweight champion of the world.

So they got him rounds, and they did it anyway they could. It was a difficult task. Wilder knocked out every opponent he faced before defeating Stiverne, and all within four rounds. But they didn’t let his success make their plan a failure. They sent him packing whenever and wherever to be a sparring partner for world-class fighters such as Wladimir Klitschko, David Haye and Tomas Adamek.

It wasn’t just something they wanted him to do. It’s something they needed him to do. Back in 2011, Deas told me Wilder’s total time inside a boxing ring overall was a paltry four hours.

“He’s only had about 30 amateur bouts, and his amateur and professional actual ring time total is about four hours,” said Deas.

So Deas and company were patient. They built Wilder up. They had him fight often and while his competition wasn’t stellar, it allowed them to mold Wilder into a legitimate heavyweight contender. The work of Breland in particular seems to have paid huge dividends. Wilder went from barely having a jab at all to using what appears to be one of the better jabs in the division to sting Stiverne all 12 rounds on his way to becoming WBC heavyweight champion. Moreover, he went from looking like a clumsy, newborn baby dear to a swift-footed boxer who knew his way around a boxing ring.

Of course, Wilder is a champion now, but he’s not THE champion. Wladimir Klitschko is the WBA, WBO, IBO and IBF titleholder, as well as The Ring Magazine and Transnational Rankings champion. That makes him ‘The Man’ at heavyweight, and the latter belt distinguishes him as the division’s lineal champion.

And despite his exceptional progress, Wilder isn’t quite ready to take on Klitschko yet. While his win over Stiverne was impressive and important to his development, it was the 29-year-old’s first tussle with world-class opposition.

With the belt secure now, and advisor Al Haymon’s recent inroads over at NBC, Team Wilder would be wise to remain patient with their fighter. When I talked to the new champion last week, he told me he would target a defense against Tyson Fury next, possibly in the UK. Fury is exactly the kind of competition Wilder needs now. He’s accomplished, world-class but also appears flawed. The division is rife with the types: good but not great fighters, the likes of which has made Klitschko’s reign long and easy.

Bouts against heavyweights like Fury, Dereck Chisora, Steve Cunningham, Mike Perez, Vyacheslav Glazkov and Tony Thompson, would further Wilder’s cause. The competition would make him a better fighter, and give him the experience he needs to really give Klitschko a run for his money. And having some or all of the bouts on Haymon’s NBC cards would make Wilder America’s heavyweight darling.

If you’re the impatient type, think about his: how big would a Klitschko-Wilder unification bout be in 2016 if Wilder came into the bout with wins over Stiverne, Fury, Thompson and Glazkov, the latter three featured in primetime on NBC?

History tells me Team Wilder will be patient moving forward with their fighter. It also tells me it’s probably the right move, because Wilder’s talent and ability would only have gotten him so far. He needed a great team for the rest of it, a smart and patient one who really had his best interests at heart. So give credit to Wilder for being America’s legitimate heavyweight hope, and the rest of Team Wilder for helping make it possible.

Photo Credit: Tom Hogan/Hogan Photos

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Kelsey McCarson

Najee Lopez Steps up in Class and Wins Impressively at Plant City

Published

3 hours ago

January 24, 2025

Arne K. Lang

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Garry Jonas’ ProBox series returned to its regular home in Plant City, Florida, tonight with a card topped by a 10-round light heavyweight match between fast-rising Najee Lopez and former world title challenger Lenin Castillo. This was considered a step-up fight for the 25-year-old Lopez, an Atlanta-born-fighter of Puerto Rican heritage. Although the 36-year-old Castillo had lost two of his least three heading in, he had gone the distance with Dimitry Bivol and Marcus Browne and been stopped only once (by Callum Smith).

Lopez landed the cleaner punches throughout. Although Castillo seemed unfazed during the first half of the fight, he returned to his corner at the end of round five exhibiting signs of a fractured jaw.

In the next round, Lopez cornered him against the ropes and knocked him through the ropes with a left-right combination. Referee Emil Lombardo could have stopped the fight right there, but he allowed the courageous Castillo to carry on for a bit longer, finally stopping the fight as Castillo’s corner and a Florida commissioner were signaling that it was over.

The official time was 2:36 of round six. Bigger fights await the talented Lopez who improved to 13-0 with his tenth win inside the distance. Castillo declined to 25-7-1.

Co-Feature

In a stinker of a heavyweight fight, Stanley Wright, a paunchy, 34-year-old North Carolina journeyman, scored a big upset with a 10-round unanimous decision over previously unbeaten Jeremiah Milton.

Wright carried 280 pounds, 100 pounds more than in his pro debut 11 years ago. Although he was undefeated (13-0, 11 KOs), he had never defeated an opponent with a winning record and his last four opponents were a miserable 19-48-2. Moreover, he took the fight on short notice.

What Wright had going for him was fast hands and, in the opening round, he put Milton on the canvas with a straight right hand. From that point, Milton fought tentatively and Wright, looking fatigued as early as the fourth round, fought only in spurts. It seemed doubtful that he could last the distance, but Milton, the subject of a 2021 profile in these pages, was wary of Wright’s power and unable to capitalize. “It’s almost as if Milton is afraid to win,” said ringside commentator Chris Algieri during the ninth stanza when the bout had devolved into a hugfest.

The judges had it 96-93 and 97-92 twice for the victorious Wright who boosted his record to 14-0 without improving his stature.

Also

In the TV opener, a 10-round contest in the junior middleweight division, Najee Lopez stablemate Darrelle Valsaint (12-0, 10 KOs) scored his career-best win with a second-round knockout of 35-year-old Dutch globetrotter Stephen Danyo (23-7-3).

A native Floridian of Haitian descent, the 22-year-old Valsaint was making his eighth start in Plant City. He rocked Danyo with a chopping right hand high on the temple and then, as Danyo slumped forward, delivered the coup-de-gras, a short left uppercut. The official time was 2:17 of round two.

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Japanese Superstar Naoya Inoue is Headed to Vegas after KOing Ye Joon Kim

Published

13 hours ago

January 24, 2025

Arne K. Lang

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Japan’s magnificent Naoya Inoue, appearing in his twenty-fourth title fight, scored his 11^th straight stoppage tonight while successfully defending his unified super bantamweight title, advancing his record to 29-0 (26 KOs) at the expense of Ye Joon Kim. The match at Tokyo’s Ariake Arena came to an end at the 2:25 mark of round four when U.S. referee Mark Nelson tolled “10” over the brave but overmatched Korean.

Kim, raised in a Seoul orphanage, had a few good moments, but the “Monster” found his rhythm in the third round, leaving Kim with a purplish welt under his left eye. In the next frame, he brought the match to a conclusion, staggering the Korean with a left and then finishing matters with an overhand right that put Kim on the seat of his pants, dazed and wincing in pain.

Kim, who brought a 21-2-2 record, took the fight on 10 days’ notice, replacing Australia’s Sam Goodman who suffered an eye injury in sparring that never healed properly, forcing him to withdraw twice.

Co-promoter Bob Arum, who was in the building, announced that Inoue’s next fight would happen in Las Vegas in the Spring. Speculation centers on Mexico City’s Alan Picasso (31-0-1, 17 KOs) who is ranked #1 by the WBC. However, there’s also speculation that the 31-year-old Inoue may move up to featherweight and seek to win a title in a fifth weight class, in which case a potential opponent is the winner of the Feb. 2 match between Brandon Figueroa and Stephen Fulton. In “olden days,” this notion would have been dismissed as the Japanese superstar and Figueroa/Fulton have different promoters, but the arrival of Turki Alalshikh, the sport’s Daddy Warbucks, has changed the dynamic. Tonight, Naoya Inoue made his first start as a brand ambassador for Riyadh Season.

Simmering on the backburner is a megafight with countryman Junto Nakatani, an easy fight to make as Arum has ties to both. However, the powers-that-be would prefer more “marination.”

Inoue has appeared twice in Las Vegas, scoring a seventh-round stoppage of Jason Moloney in October of 2020 at the MGM Bubble and a third-round stoppage of Michael Dasmarinas at the Virgin Hotels in June of 2021.

Semi-wind-up

In a 12-round bout for a regional welterweight title, Jin Sasaki improved to 19-1-1 (17) with a unanimous decision over Shoki Sakai (29-15-3). The scores were 118-110, 117-111, and 116-112.

Also

In a bout in which both contestants were on the canvas, Toshiki Shimomachi (20-1-3) edged out Misaki Hirano (11-2), winning a majority decision. A 28-year-old Osaka southpaw with a fan-friendly style, the lanky Shimomachi, unbeaten in his last 22 starts, competes as a super bantamweight. A match with Inoue may be in his future.

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Eric Priest Wins Handily on Thursday’s Golden Boy card at the Commerce Casino

Published

19 hours ago

January 24, 2025

David A. Avila

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Model turned fighter Eric Priest jabbed and jolted his way into the super middleweight rankings with a shutout decision win over veteran Tyler Howard on Thursday.

In his first main event Priest (15-0, 8 KOs) proved ready for contender status by defusing every attack Tennessee’s Howard (20-3, 11 KOs) could muster at Commerce Casino, the second fight in six days at the LA County venue.

All ticket monies collected on the Folden Boy Promotions card were contributed to the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation as they battle wildfires sprouting all over Los Angeles County due to high winds.

Priest, 26, had never fought anyone near Howard’s caliber but used a ramrod jab to keep the veteran off-balance and unable to muster a forceful counter-attack. Round after round the Korean-American fighter pumped left jabs while circling his opposition.

Though hit with power shots, none seemed to faze Howard but his own blows were unable to put a dent in Priest. After 10 rounds of the same repetitive action all three judges scored the fight 100-90 for Priest who now wins a regional super middleweight title.

Priest also joins the top 15 rankings of the WBA organization.

In a fight between evenly matched middleweights, Jordan Panthen (11-0, 9 KOs) remained undefeated after 10 rounds versus DeAundre Pettus (12-4, 7 KOs). Though equally skilled, Panthen simply out-worked the South Caroliina fighter to win by unanimous decision. No knockdowns were scored.

Other Bouts

Grant Flores (8-0, 6 KOs) knocked out Costa Rica’s David Lobo Ramirez (17-4, 12 KOs) with two successive right uppercuts at 2:59 of the second round of the super welterweight fight.

Cayden Griffith (3-0, 3 KOs) used a left hook to the body to stop Mark Misiura at 1:43 of the second round in a super welterweight bout.

Jordan Fuentes (3-0) floored Brandon Badillo (0-3-1) in the third round and proceeded to win by decision after four rounds in a super bantamweight fight.

A super featherweight match saw Leonardo Sanchez (8-0) win by decision over Joseph Cruz Brown (10-12) after six rounds.

Photo credit: Cris Esqueda / Golden Boy

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