Deontay Wilder will go for his ninth title defense against mandatory challenger Dominic Breazeale!
On May 18 we’ll see two gigantic heavyweights who have a genuine disdain for each other finally collide! WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder will be making his ninth consecutive title defense when he steps in the ring with mandatory challenger Dominic Breazeale.
The build up for this fight has been based on verbal warfare with the promise of life altering changes at its conclusion.
Here’s a quote from Wilder, who makes his intentions straightforward, plain, and clear.
“This is the only sport where you can kill a man and get paid for it at the same time. So why not use my right to do so?”
Deontay Wilder – WBC Heavyweight Champion
Bone chilling words from Wilder!
This hatred for one another stems from an incident that took place in Birmingham, Alabama, where Wilder defended his title against Gerald Washington while Breazeale defeated Izuagbe Ugonoh on the same card.
Both camps allegedly traded punches and words in a hotel lobby that ignited this heated and hatred filled rivalry between the two men.
The Match-up
Wilder is the overwhelming favorite going into this match-up. He’s unbeaten and coming off back-to-back fights with top contender Luis Ortiz and former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.
His 95% knockout ratio tells you everything you need to know about his power. He has either dropped or knocked out every man fought so far. This doesn’t bold well for Breazeale, who’s very hit-able.
However, what does go in his favor is that he’s just as tall as Wilder and has a similar reach. Another thing is Wilder is sometimes a slow starter. This was evident in his fights with Gerald Washington, Luis Ortiz and more recently, Tyson Fury.
In all those fights, one thing that stuck out to me was how easily he was out-jabbed early before ultimately getting the stoppage victories and a draw with Fury.
Breazeale will need to control this fight with his jab, keeping the fight in the middle of the ring and avoiding the big right-hand of Wilder.
Wilder has said he was going back to the basics for this fight, which I take as he’s going to fight a controlled, disciplined fight behind his jab; similar to what he did against Bermane Stiverne when he won his title back in 2015.
Prediction Time!
I think Breazeale will have his moments early. However, like every other opponent not named Tyson Fury that’s been in the ring with the champ, he will end up getting knocked out.
Wilder is just too athletic and explosive for the fighter from Eastvale, California to avoid for all twelve rounds without getting clipped.
I have Wilder winning in six by a brutal, highlight reel knockout to retain his WBC title!
By: Jerrell Fletcher
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