Deontay Wilder returns with a KO, but has the old magic vanished?
Plus, Jake Paul grabs another surname; Canelo and Crawford turn up the heat
A packed weekend of boxing saw a feared former finisher return in Kansas, trying to recreate something that appears to have drifted away. Jake Paul continues to make himself relevant, beating recognised names in carefully constructed matchups. Meanwhile, Canelo and Crawford remember they’re supposed to be selling a Pay-Per-View event. Here’s a fistful of fives from the past week.
1. Deontay Wilder’s punch remains - it’s the rest of his game we should be concerned about
The old boxing mantra reminds us that the last thing to go in an ageing pugilist is his punch. For the majority of his career, ‘Bronze Bomber’ Wilder had a punch so ferocious that it left victims in all manner of positions and predicaments.
While those hammer hands remain, the ability to land the heaviest shots, get into position and avoid the heavy leather coming back his way are the key question marks around Wilder’s final run. Friday night’s opponent, Tyrrell Herndon, was too small and had a history of getting bludgeoned in any kind of step-up opportunity.
Wilder won every round, dropped Herndon twice and encouraged the referee’s intervention during round seven. Finally, a win on the record of a man who had become accustomed to losing.
Anything resembling a peak Wilder would’ve smashed Herndon into oblivion in the first round. The mentality is more cautious now. The post-surgery arms are no longer as competent as they once were.
Wilder will get another shot at glory, probably as a name for a prospect or contender to chew up. Maybe he could string a couple of wins together and reignite an old rivalry. Regardless of where he goes next, the old magic and menace have drifted away. This is no longer the destroyer of old.
You can support Steve’s Boxing updates by:
❤️ Liking the post (a free shot that makes you feel good).
🗣️ Leave a comment to get things off your chest. Agree with Steve? Think he’s talking nonsense as usual? Let me know.
🥊 Subscribe! It’s all free. Get everything I write or say directly to your inbox.
☕ Buy me a coffee. If you’ve got a spare couple of shillings.
2. More shrewd matchmaking from Jake Paul, who grabs the Chavez name
Like him or loathe him, Jake Paul has found a clever way of moving around boxing. As fighters go, he’s not that bad. The fitness and dedication, mingled with motivation to succeed, are plain to see. There is also a semblance of boxing skill. He’s clearly not terrible.
This is what adds a slight air of credibility to his work, as you can’t completely dismiss him as a useless YouTuber or cosplay boxer anymore. Hardcore fans know that he won’t trouble the world’s best fighters. However, tackling the likes of Mike Tyson and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, even in their current conditions, associates him with well-known names.
Even the loss to Tommy Fury has been pushed into the rearview mirror, with his name linked to the Fury brand. Some facile “keep busy” fights later, he has poked that loss further down the record. The fact that he was once touted to fight Hasim Rahman Jr is no accident. Rahman Sr is a former unified heavyweight champion. The name carries heft.
Beating MMA and UFC fighters, as well as wrestlers, keeps him in the realm of combat. Fighting characters and blowhards, no matter how useless they happen to be at boxing, keep things interesting to the uninformed sports fan. Paul has a way of attaching himself to the remotely credible. As the millions of dollars continue to roll in, this might be the savviest move of them all.
3. Christian Mbilli punishes Poland’s Sulecki in a round
‘Eye of the Tiger’ is an appropriate promotional name for Christian Mbilli, who showed his teeth in Canada on Friday night. Opponent Maciej Sulecki was a contender, riding high off an away win in Kazakhstan earlier in the year, and was expected to provide a few rounds.
Mbilli simply walked right through him. Starting at the body, switching upstairs with the uppercut, it was a quality combination from the new WBC Interim champ at 168 pounds. More than anything, he stated a case for the Canelo fight.
Rival Diego Pacheco pulled out of a proposed elimination bout with Mbilli and now ‘Solide’ has smashed away a common opponent in double-quick fashion. Mbilli is ahead of Diego when it comes to the big fights now.
4. Battle of the big babies is likely to end in tears
Talk is growing of a possible heavyweight clash on the Canelo-Crawford undercard between Jarrell ‘Big Baby’ Miller and Jared ‘The Real Big Baby’ Anderson. If it comes to fruition, the trash talk for this one should be entertaining.
The action inside the ring will be sweaty and sloppy. Both men have been linked with Anthony Joshua over time. Anderson was discussed as the next big American heavyweight hope. Some alarming personality cracks were developing long before he lost to Martin Bakole.
Miller is a serial PED infringer who was supposed to fight Fabio Wardley. He turned up, pushed, shoved, wore a rival football shirt, then withdrew, leaving Wardley with Justis Huni. This unpredictable bout, between two unpredictable fighters, is probably not going to happen at all!
5. Canelo and Crawford push and pull needed to hype up fight
The countdown to the September 13 “super fight” between Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford has begun and it needed something to spark it into life. After breaking bread in Saudi Arabia, the only beef in sight had been on the table as the pair passed plates and bowls around in a cordial fashion.
Now they’ve either decided or been told to cook the beef, heat it up a bit, and remind people that this is a fight for undisputed status. Crawford got too close at a recent head-to-head, and Canelo responded with a shove.
Both entourages got involved. The usual fuss developed. It was probably as contrived as it seemed. While the old Eddie Hearn line, “They proppa ‘ate each avva, Koogs,” is inaccurate, at least it feels a bit more like a physical battle is about to take place.
Image Credits: The Independent, Al Jazeera, Riyadh Season.
About Steve…
Current existence: Online editor at Boxing News Magazine.
Previous lives: Author (8 books), podcaster (500+ eps), scriptwriter for Motivedia channel, newspaper journalist, copywriter & educator.
Contact: stevenwellings1982@gmail.com
I have to admit, that while not disliking Jake Paul for any reason, I really wanted Tyson to knock him out. After that I lost interest except being envious for getting paid for being “not terrible”.