So it is up to Wilder to return the most desired belt in boxing to USA turf.
Advertisement
“First of all, it’s an vast, enormous pleasure to be boxing here in the United States”, Duhaupas said through a translator. The only two boxers he wouldn’t be favored against are Wladimir Klitschko (and who would be?) and Alexander Povetkin – with whom a mandatory challenge looms sometime in 2016. It was refreshing to see Wilder pick his shots and pick them well. Especially those that were skeptical of Wilder after the trouble he had with Molina in his last fight.
The fight with Klitschko is the one Wilder is asked about all the time, and one he said he wants. Duhaupas was also cut on the bridge of the nose. He proved he could take the former bronze medal winner’s power, at least to a degree, and still make a showing of himself.
Duhaupas proved he could stand the storm as well as chase it, but he had not really displayed any meaningful offense.
Duhaupas’ secret weapon was his incredible toughness.
The hometown crowd was reacting to everything Wilder was doing and they were desperate for the stoppage. “They are the most unsafe ones”. He was ahead 100-90 on one scorecard while the two other judges had Wilder ahead 99-91, both having given Duhaupas only the fourth round. Maybe Duhaupas can fight.
But Duhaupas weathered that storm and held his own until the 10th, when another flurry of punches from Wilder had Duhaupas wobbling, setting up the decisive 11th.
Some of the criticism levelled against Deontay Wilder is unfair. Wilder was completely in his comfort zone now as he started to showboat just a bit. Is it a coincidence that Wilder is making his network TV debut in a month that saw the sport’s cash cow call it quits?
As fast as Wilder has climbed the ladder, the expectation is for Wilder to never slow down. He pressed forward and he did his best to connect on the insider with Wilder.
Had Tapia defeated Soro, he could’ve fought for the WBO title by the end of this year. He followed up on the right hand with a relentless attack of rights and lefts. He continued to dole out punishment in the seventh round, after which referee Jack Reiss went to Duhaupas’ corner and told him he had to show something or he would stop the bout. While the challenger kept the champ moving around the ring, he did so without mustering much offense, instead absorbing jabs and hooks as Wilder flashed a polished range of boxing skills we haven’t consistently seen from him. I want to get him his first knockout.
Wilder improves to 35 wins with 34 KO/TKOs as he remains undefeated. “We knew he was tough, we knew he was mentally tough…” “The scariest people are the ones you don’t know of”. What more do you want? “He’s got a hell of a chin”. Stiverne is a very good win, no doubt, but there’s a pretty steep drop off after that in terms of quality of opponent.
Advertisement
Now, a decade later, we’re able to say with confidence that Wilder is a class above fighters like Duhapaus, Malik Scott and Bermane Stiverne, all of whom the Alabama native dispatched.
