by David P. Greisman - There were as many reasons to doubt Deontay Wilder as there were reasons to believe in him, to think that that he would be the latest overhyped heavyweight to underdeliver.
If you could doubt a man who had scored knockouts in all 32 of wins, it was because you were already acquainted with a sport where prospects can become contenders, contenders can become titleholders, and titleholders can remain undefeated, all while still being untested.
It was because you had seen so many built up on shaky foundations — built on the backs of laid-out opponents, foes whose felling can give the impression of a fighter being a world-beater. Often that impression is proven an illusion once he steps in against those closer to world-class.
Boxing’s biggest men have been a sizable share of the flawed and the frauds, with Michael Grant one of the more infamous cautionary tales. Grant was 31-0 with 22 knockouts when he fought for the heavyweight championship against Lennox Lewis, only to be knocked down four times in less than six minutes. That at least was a defeat against a future Hall of Famer; 15 months later Grant was dispatched in less than a minute by Jameel McCline.
Wilder, like Grant, is a 6-foot-7 former team-sport athlete who turned to boxing at a later age, nearly 20 when he first entered the amateur ranks. His height, speed and raw skill made him the unlikely lone medalist on the American Olympic boxing team in 2008, a performance that earned him the nickname of “Bronze Bomber.” Like Grant he had to develop as a pro, moved carefully over the course of about six years until an opportunity, barely deserved, presented itself. [Click Here To Read More]
If you could doubt a man who had scored knockouts in all 32 of wins, it was because you were already acquainted with a sport where prospects can become contenders, contenders can become titleholders, and titleholders can remain undefeated, all while still being untested.
It was because you had seen so many built up on shaky foundations — built on the backs of laid-out opponents, foes whose felling can give the impression of a fighter being a world-beater. Often that impression is proven an illusion once he steps in against those closer to world-class.
Boxing’s biggest men have been a sizable share of the flawed and the frauds, with Michael Grant one of the more infamous cautionary tales. Grant was 31-0 with 22 knockouts when he fought for the heavyweight championship against Lennox Lewis, only to be knocked down four times in less than six minutes. That at least was a defeat against a future Hall of Famer; 15 months later Grant was dispatched in less than a minute by Jameel McCline.
Wilder, like Grant, is a 6-foot-7 former team-sport athlete who turned to boxing at a later age, nearly 20 when he first entered the amateur ranks. His height, speed and raw skill made him the unlikely lone medalist on the American Olympic boxing team in 2008, a performance that earned him the nickname of “Bronze Bomber.” Like Grant he had to develop as a pro, moved carefully over the course of about six years until an opportunity, barely deserved, presented itself. [Click Here To Read More]
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