By Vince D’Writer: Eddie Hearn’s comment on Wilder vs Usyk sparks Twitter battle with Wilder promoter Lou DiBella
After facing his arch-rival Tyson Fury in three entertaining fights, former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder took some time off from boxing, but now he’s back and about to return to the ring on October 15 when he faces Robert Helenius (31-3, 20 KOs) live on Fox pay-per-view at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
A product of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Deontay Wilder won a bronze medal at the 2008 Olympics. Seven years later, he won the WBC belt in January 2015, and during his championship reign, Wilder had ten successful title defenses. . In December 2018 he fought the first of three bouts against Tyson Fury, but unfortunately came out of the trilogy with a draw and back-to-back losses. Now Wilder is ready to get back on track, and the journey to becoming a two-time heavyweight champion begins with his Oct. 15 matchup against Robert Helenius.
Going into the heavyweight clash against Helenius, Wilder is the favorite to win the fight. If The Bronze Bomber is able to defeat Helenius, his shot at the heavyweight title could come as early as the first quarter of 2023. Reigning unified WBA/WBO/IBF heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk (20- 0, 13 KOs) has verbalized his interest in facing Wilder in the ring, but one boxing promoter in particular believes the potential fight between Wilder and Usyk will lack competitiveness.
During an interview with iD Boxing, Eddie Hearn expressed his thoughts on the potential Usyk-Wilder clash. “I think he (Usyk) instructs him. I mean, look, Luis Ortiz tutored Deontay Wilder. I’m referring particularly to the second fight, but Deontay Wilder has the ability to turn out the lights with one shot, which he did in that fight. He lost eight rounds or something and knocked him out in the ninth. He will not win a round against Usyk. Not one round, but he could knock him out because he can knock anybody out, but I don’t think Usyk is there like Ortiz was at that stage of the fight.”
Hearn’s honest assessment of the potential matchup between Usyk and Wilder did not translate well with Wilder’s promoter, Lou DiBella, when he responded to Hearn’s statement via social media. “It won’t matter if Wilder lands the only punch that knocks Usyk out. And he probably would. As if he would probably knock Joshua out. In fact, Hearn might be right to the knockout point…but does it matter? He respects the puncher.”
Hearn posted an immediate response to DiBella’s rebuttal saying, “Maybe you want to read it first… I don’t see Usyk losing a round to Deontay Wilder, but at the same time Wilder has the power to cause anyone trouble.” Eleven minutes later, Lou DiBella ended the conversation by posting: “I try to read as little forecast as possible, but thanks for clarifying.”
A possible heavyweight championship fight between Oleksandr Usyk and Deontay Wilder is a very intriguing matchup. Without a doubt, Usyk is by far the better fighter, but the real question is whether Usyk can get up. Forty-one of Wilder’s forty-two career wins have come by knockout. It’s almost impossible to box Wilder for twelve rounds without being touched by Wilder’s right hand. On several occasions, Wilder has stated the fact that his opponents have to be perfect for twelve rounds, but he only has to be perfect for two seconds.
Standing 6-foot-9 and weighing in at 277 pounds, Tyson Fury tested Wilder’s power, and the key to Fury winning was his ability to get off the mat. If a fight between Usyk and Wilder materializes, it won’t be a question of whether Usyk can win every round, the question will be whether Usyk can survive The Bronze Bomber’s right hand.
