Wilder Weighs 219; Did The Bronze Bomber Over-Train?

219 on a tall man can make the fella a sturdy specimen. 219 pounds on a 6-6 1/2 man can make the long tall fella look a bit on the stringy side.

Some words, of the “doesn’t he look a tad skinny?” variety, were exchanged at the MGM in Vegas on Friday, when the Bronze Bomber scaled in at 219 pounds, the lightest he’s been since 2012, when he weighed 217 against Owen Beck. That lack of bulk–he’s been 224 or more his last six outings–didn’t hamper him, it seemed; Beck didn’t make it out of the third round.

And so I don’t think we can go out on any sort of limb, beyond a guessing one, when Wilder tangles with and tries to snatch the WBC heavyweight belt from Bermane Stiverne (on left, Wilder above right, in Hogan photo), who was 239 Friday, right about what he weighed for his last fight, a win (TKO6) over Chris Arreola.

Might his chin hold up better with more meat on his limbs? Perhaps; we can engage in weight debate if indeed something suggests, in his performance tonight, that being light hurt him. His advisor and cornerman Jay Deas, weighed in on the 219 reading late Friday night.

Was Wilder overtrained, I asked Deas, a fellow Alabaman: “It’s only a few pounds (less than he’s weighed of late),” Deas told me. “It was a longer camp. He’s in great shape. And I’m not sure the scale was right. He was 223 or 224 (on a different scale).”

Food for thought? Maybe not. If he wins, it’s all good. If he loses, maybe we revisit it, maybe not.

Photo Credit: Esther Lin

WATCH RELATED VIDEOS ON BOXINGCHANNEL.TV