Deontay Wilder To Face “Dangerous” Damon Reed Next

Deontay Wilder To Face “Dangerous” Damon Reed Next

By James Slater: It’s fair to say 25-year-old “Bronze Bomber” Deontay Wilder has been matched safely since turning pro. After being the only U.S boxer to capture a medal at the Beijing Olympics (a bronze, hence the nickname) the gifted fighter has romped to a largely easy-looking 16-0(16). Not yet having been taken past the 4th-round, Wilder has beaten just six guys who had a winning record when they entered the ring with him.

Veteran Harold Sconiers aside, no-one has remotely tested Wilder (Sconiers scored a knockdown before being TKO’d in the 4th back in October of last year), and this trend looks set to continue in the former Olympian’s next bout. Set to face 39-year-old “Dangerous” Damon Reed in his home town of Tuscaloosa, Alabama this Saturday night, Wilder is sure to win again.

Reed, 46-15(32) does represent at least something of a step up for Wilder, yet he has been stopped eight times in his 15 losses. And, truth be told, Reed looked far from dangerous in his last fight, when he was shut-out over ten-rounds by a 257-pound version of James “Lights Out” Toney. At least Reed took Toney the distance, and he may survive into the later rounds with Wilder - but will Deontay learn anything from this fight? Has he really learnt anything from any of his pro fights so far; the up-from-a-knockdown win over Sconiers aside?

Reed, a former cruiserweight, has been beaten every time he has stepped up against a name heavyweight - with Monte Barrett, Roman Greenberg, Hasim Rahman and Toney defeating him in more recent months. Reed does have way more experience than Wilder, having been a pro since way back in 1995; but does he have any real ambition left today?

As gifted as he is, it’s tough to have any idea how good Wilder is or how far he can go. Time is on the 25-year-old’s side, but it must be noted how a number of British heavyweights, of a similar age or younger, have been matched with risky opponents after having had a lesser amount of fights than Wilder has.

At least Wilder - who at 6’7” and approx 220-pounds seems to have the physical credentials to be able to mix with the big guys - has been keeping active. He picked up six wins last year, and Saturday’s bout will be his third of this year so far. It is to be hoped the upping of the level WILL take place very soon, though.

Fans want to get excited about Wilder, but they cannot truly do so until he starts stepping in with some decent, recognizable names. Okay, Wilder has been a pro for less than three years, but shouldn’t he be making his move soon?

Source: Eastsideboxing

While the title of this topic/article is a joke. It is actually a step up for the very protected Wilder.

Yer Wilder is known for having a chin like Glass Jaw
Joe on Super Punchout. Hence the slow buildup to his career.

Has all the physical attributes to be in contention but must tighten up that defence and start making a step up in class.

Saw a few of his fights and he looked good, albeit against awful opposition. Thought that americans would have been making a bigger fuss about him, with his record and there ongoing search for there next top heavywieght. May not be a great fight but its undoubtedly a step up in opposition.

I think he should have been matched with Audley...

a match with david price would be good. Americas biggest HW prospect vs arguably Britains.

This article perfectly sums up American HW boxing at this moment in time. Pinning their hopes on the latest rising star and trying to put a positive spin on a record which, were it held by a British fighter, would have the press rolling in the aisles with tears of laughter streaming down their faces.

In a nutshell "This guy has done nothing, faced no-one and will soon be fighting someone else who's done nothing of note. Let's try and get excited about him...yay!"

Wilder has great potential.

Good power, fabulous mobility and movement, fast hands. Yes - he walked onto a shot and was decked. He still got up to stop the guy.

He won an Olympic bronze on hardly any amateur fights - he HAS to go slow at the moment. Time is on his side - if you step up, you can't step back down, remember. It is worth him spending time fighting the Reeds of this world (a guy who was worthy of Toney last time out, remember) for quite some time.

IN FAIRNESS OX, TONEY HAS NOTHING TO OFFER EXCEPT A FEW INTERESTING/TIRED SOUNDBITES

DAVE667 wrote:IN FAIRNESS OX, TONEY HAS NOTHING TO OFFER EXCEPT A FEW INTERESTING/TIRED SOUNDBITES

Did you have an accident with your capslock?

Toney has truly, very little left. If he ever had that much at HW anyway. However - he is still 10-20 in the division (I'd say nearer 20). Wilder is nowhere near that mark and has a lot of work to do to get there - however, I think he could make it one day. He has more than Harrison ever did - and some of us "believed" at the start of Fraudley's career that he might go on to do something...

Toney still at 10-20 in the HW division says all that needs to be said I'm afraid

DAVE667 wrote:Toney still at 10-20 in the HW division says all that needs to be said I'm afraid

Scarce a truer word spoken.

There's such a big distance between 3 and 4 - and then a massive gap again between 4-10 and the rest.