Deontay Wilder pushing back on Bomb Squad battle cry!
In his latest prizefight, WBC world heavyweight champion Deontay “Bronze Bomber” Wilder (42-0-1, 41 KO’s) defended his title for the tenth consecutive time. Wilder was able to stop his crafty and powerful opponent, Luis “King Kong” Ortiz (31-2, 26 KO’s), in the seventh round of their highly anticipated rematch.
WALKING WITH THE GREATS
With the win, the Bronze Bomber has officially entered into the historic double-digit title defense realm. He enjoys the company of greats such as Muhammad Ali, Vitali Klitschko, Lennox Lewis, Larry Holmes and Joe Louis.
That does not mean that the win did not come without any difficulty. Before Wilder managed to liquefy Ortiz, he certainly had to contend with a dangerous and complex puzzle.
It’s pretty much universally agreed that Wilder was well down on the scorecards. In fact, you wouldn’t find much push back by saying he’d lost every available round until the seventh.
Yet, down or not, in the seventh the Bronze Bomber did manage to connect with his nuclear bomb of a straight right-hand. The one clean shot melted Ortiz into a useless pool of limp muscle and discombobulation.
SORE THROAT BLUES
For years, Wilder has declared that with his devastating power and unshakable determination he would unify the heavyweight division. He has also been literally screaming his trademark slogan of “Bomb Squad” for years.
The jarring battle cry is a fan favorite to his supporters. Alternatively, its grating like finger nails on a chalk board to his detractors.
Like it or hate it though, the ‘bomb squad’ bellow is firmly attached to the Wilder mythos. This is why it may be a surprising revelation to learn that the champ himself is not fond of the tagline.
When he first created it, the catch phrase fit his persona and his purposes to perfection. At this point in his life and career, however, Wilder looks at the energetic utterance as rather taxing.
“You know, when I made Bomb Squad, and the war cry that I say, ‘bomb squad,’ I wish I never created it because at this point in time it takes too much of my energy.
“It takes WAY too much! At this point in time, we countdown how many times we allowed to say it.”
Despite this rather telling admission, it’s very unlikely the WBC champion will abandon his famous tagline now.
The high-energy phrase is simply too deeply ingrained within his image and branding. So, for the moment at least, it appears as if Team Wilder is going to be “Bomb Squad” for life.
By: Bakari Simpson
