On January 17th, 2015 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, the only World Heavyweight boxing title not in the possession of Wladimir Klitschko will be on the line as Canada’s Bermane Stiverne defends his WBC World title against undefeated American Deontay Wilder. Right now, Wilder is favored by a slight margin, coming in at (-135) with Stiverne returning at (+115).
Wilder is a physical specimen at nearly 6 ft. 7 in. tall, and his record is 32-0 with 32 KOs. Wilder will have distinct height and reach advantages on Stiverne, who stands at 6 ft. 2 in. At 29 years old, Wilder is seven years younger than the champion. Wilder won a bronze medal at the 2008 Olympic games, and is the last American boxer to win a medal at the Olympics. Now he has to feel like he is ready to fill a hole in the American Heavyweight boxing scene. Stiverne is just the first step, but it is a big step up from the level of competition Wilder has been fighting at.
The WBC belt Stiverne has was vacated by long-time titleholder Vitali Klitschko when he retired, and Stiverne grabbed it by pounding out veteran contender Chris Arreola (35-3 at the time) in six rounds. He has not lost a fight since July of 2007, where his lone blemish came as a result of a disputed referee stoppage. It was the second time Stiverne would stop Arreola, who was in the best shape of his career and focused on making one more title run.
The winner will have the inside shot at the Wladimir Klitschko bout later in 2015. Klitschko, at this point, is more concerned about his legacy than anything else. Pulling in the belt his brother vacated and controlling all of the big World Heavyweight Championships is exactly what he has in mind. England’s Tyson Fury also has a chance at the match, but if Klitscko wants to fight the winner of Stiverne-Wilder, an offer for that fight could come in the May time frame. that would save Fury for a year closing match for Klitschko, who is used to calling all the shots when he fights.
From Elie Sethbach‘s video library, here is Stiverne working the heavy bag.
