Wilder championship fight almost sold out for Saturday

The Tuscaloosa, Ala., native will defend his title Saturday against Johann Duhaupas of France at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Ala.

It will be the first heavyweight world title bout on NBC in prime time in 30 years, since Larry Holmes defended the title in a 15-round decision win against Carl “The Truth” Williams on May 20, 1985 in Reno, Nevada, a fight Albert was ringside to call as well. Especially those that were skeptical of Wilder after the trouble he had with Molina in his last fight. Hindsight tells us that Holmes was one of the underrated champions of his time, a contrast to Wilder, who some see as an overrated talent of his time.

“Oh, most definitely”, Wilder said.

“To put on gloves for the first time at 21 and to win a Bronze a couple of years later and win a world title while still in his twenties, it’s tremendous. He’s the last American male boxer to medal in the Olympics”.

What Wilder’s trainers don’t want is for him to get overly focused on knocking the Frenchman out.

Wilder has been ideal over the course of his career with a 34-0 record, including 33 victories by way of knockout. His physique is trim and tight, and his reach stretches 83 inches.

“I don’t care about what other people think about it”, Wilder said. My last fight was a disappointment, and that’s all the commenters seemed interested in during the pre-fight interviews. I have a great team behind me.

Wilder is a heavy favorite, with as high as 32-1 odds according to 5dimes.com over Duhaupas, who is ranked as the No. 11 heavyweight by the WBC.

That resurgence has started at home, with Wilder insisting on holding his title defenses in Alabama, where more people are introduced to him and his competitive spirit every day. I hope so. If it’s a compelling fight we can expect more top-level fights on free TV.

I just also wish that [while] he’s in position, he’s going to do better [in picking opponents]. Basically, Wilder has to face someone valid in his next fight.

“Having Deontay fighting on free television is a big deal”, said Lou DiBella, who is promoting the card. He won by knockout in the ninth but was susceptible to a left hook that clipped his chin in the third. The Reptile, however, has not revealed any flaws he may see in Wilder’s game. “Now it’s time for the big guys to rule like they once were and I’m the man for the job”. I’ve been wanting a big fight for years and I am willing to fight Beterbiev knowing that the purse is in his favor 75/25.

In addition to bringing big-time heavyweight boxing back to Alabama fans, Wilder and manager Al Haymon are bringing it back to U.S. network television. “We want the world to know exactly who Deontay Wilder is”.

Sports analysts believe boxing’s reputation hasn’t been helped by the prevalence of characters whose criminal behavior outside the ring has garnered as many or more headlines as their KOs inside it. Wilder’s prize possession, the green WBC belt, is one of four major sanctioning body titles.

That will likely involve an eventual clash with Ukraine’s Klitschko, who defends his World Boxing Association, World Boxing Organization and worldwide Boxing Federation belts against Britain’s Tyson Fury on October 24 in Dusseldorf. Despite their scheduled appearances, both champions rarely part-take in an interview without being asked about the other. Wilder said. “He’s a tough guy”. I’m excited about all the fans that will be tuning in on NBC. “Because for him to make that statement basically is for him to criticize his own self, or talk bad about himself because if he’s talking about opponents or whatever, he’s been doing the same thing for over a decade”. While those are coming together, we’re fighting different guys. Duhaupas was picked because he has never been stopped and because Wilder believes the Frenchman will be aiming to make history by becoming the first heavyweight champion of the world from his country.