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| 'The Bomb squad' - Cuz Hill, Jay Deas, Deontay Wilder, Mark Breland and Russ Anber |
The
heavyweight division is pretty interesting right now. Wladimir Klitschko
currently rules supreme and is showing no signs of wanting to retire (he's even
spoken about carrying on for another ten years!). Below him there are a series
of contenders jostling for position. The entertaining and combustible pair
of Tyson Fury and Dereck Chisora are soon to rumble again, with the winner
likely to get a shot at Wlad somewhere down the line. I'm also looking forward
to seeing Olympic gold medallist Anthony Joshua on the Froch-Groves bill this
weekend.
However,
probably the most intriguing and, to my mind, exciting heavyweight prospect out
there is Tuscaloosa's Deontay Wilder. With his frightening power and undefeated record, as well as that remarkable 100%
KO record, Wilder could be the saviour the heavyweight division is looking for,
and the man to put the heavyweight division back on the map in the USA.
I've
been lucky enough to interview the whole of the 'Bomb Squad' team, who are
working to ensure Deontay becomes the champ; I also got to quiz the big man
himself. It's a quite a group that Wilder and his trainer / manager Jay
Deas have assembled, including such wise and experienced boxing heads as Mark
Breland and Russ Anber. By the way, these interviews will form the basis
of an extensive 6,000 word piece on the 'Bronze Bomber' which will feature in
the first volume of Boxiana, to be published later this year. (I'm
pretty confident, by the way, that this article will prove to be the
definitive, and most detailed, piece on Wilder to appear thus far in his
career).
Anyway,
shameless plug to one side, Deontay is currently the mandatory contender for
Bermane Stiverne's recently won WBC Heavyweight title. However, Stiverne and his promoter Don King have been pretty quiet about what their next
move might be, and when / if they will fulfill this mandatory commitment.
To
check out what the latest situation was, I got in touch with Jay Deas, who's a real gentleman, by the way, and has been with Deontay
since he first walked into a boxing gym. Deas admitted that the Wilder camp are
keen to get the fight signed and sealed.
"As
far as a fight before the end of the year we are pushing very hard for
that very thing," Deas told me. "Why not? It will be a career high
payday for both guys and it's a fight everyone wants to see. Why put it off?
Stiverne didn't have to go 12 brutal rounds [against Arreola] He's healthy,
sharp, still in shape and ready to go. My guy Wilder always stays in shape so
we're sitting on ready. Let's do the thing as soon as possible!"
Deas
was generous with the compliments when I asked him for his view of Stiverne's
six-round stoppage victory against Arreola. "I thought Stiverne showed
good hand speed and skill," he confessed. "He stuck to his gameplan
and believed in himself even when things weren't going his way. I was impressed
with him."
I
agree with Jay that Bermane showed plenty of the right stuff against Arreola.
Nevertheless, I'd expect Deontay to put him to sleep. It will be an
entertaining fight though, and the winner will doubtless get a huge payday
against Wladimir. Along with Fury, I give Wilder the best chance of dethroning
the giant Ukrainian, so here's hoping Don King and the Wilder team get the
Stiverne fight signed, sealed and delivered as soon as possible.
Keep in touch with the Bomb Squad by following Jay Deas @TheRealJayDeas, Deontay Wilder @BronzeBomber and Russ Anber @RussAnber
Luke
G. Williams
Editor
Boxiana
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