Deontay Wilder is flying high again after his spectacular shot Robert Helenius’ first knockout last weekend in Brooklyn, his first fight since a head-to-head knockout loss to Tyson Fury.
Right after his win, he asked, “Who’s next?”
Well, three belt heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk has expressed interest in going up against Wilder, as has Andy Ruiz Jr. Fans love the idea of a Wilder-Anthony Joshua duel. And several others have been mentioned as potential enemies for the toughest puncher in the sport.
How will Wilder take on his biggest rivals? We have selected five exciting matchups and predict the winner.
Note; Fury is not included here. Wilder certainly wants one more shot at the WBC belt winner but neither Fury nor the fans are interested in seeing a fourth fight between them.
This is:
FRANK SANCHEZ (21-0, 14 KOs)
Sanchez, who learned to trade in the Cuban amateur system, is one of the world’s most ingenious heavyweights. He’s both agile and athletic for a large man, which could pose a lot of problems for Wilder. He attempted to play the bully in his fight against Carlos Negron on the Wilder-Helenius card – and ended in a knockout in the ninth round – but he wasn’t at his best as an aggressive boxer. . He is a technician. One responsibility Sanchez will have for Wilder is his lack of experience in the main event highlights, which is crucial. On the contrary, he participated in hundreds of matches (amateur and professional). One thing we don’t know yet: What happens when he gets a particularly strong punch to the head?
Who wins?
Sanchez is good… but no that good. And the fact that he doesn’t have great strength can stand against him. He will probably ignore Wilder for a while, like the others, but he doesn’t have the ability to hurt Wilder (like Luis Ortiz did) or the size to push him around (like Fury did) ). Sanchez will be arrested at some point. And he will go. Wilder KO 9.
JOE JOYCE (15-0, 14 KOs)
The 2016 Olympic silver medalist has earned her place among the elite heavyweights. He is on a breakout win over former president Joseph Parker, who was beaten before being stopped for 11 rounds. Joyce was impressed. He’s not particularly agile or athletic but he’s large (6 foot-6, about 270 pounds) and unusually strong, can box well and consistently deliver powerful, punitive punches that make opponents player falls. His heavy hands remind me a bit of George Foreman, though he doesn’t punch as hard as Big George. And while he’s not young – he’s 37 – he hasn’t done a lot of punches in his career, meaning he’s very fresh. He’s definitely a strong contender on the rise.
Who wins?
Joyce doesn’t have the style to match Wilder. He lunges at his opponents in an attempt to take them down, similar to the tactic Fury used in his second and third fights with Wilder. The problem for Joyce is that he’s not as skillful as Fury. He will step into a big punch after the big punch. Again, he has a nice chin. We shall see how good. Wilder KO 9.
ANDY RUIZ JR. (35-2, 22 KOs)
Ruiz will forever be known as the stout boxer who stunned the boxing world by stopping Anthony Joshua in seven rounds to become the heavyweight champion in 2019, which made him an attractive opponent. guide for anyone. He has strong points: quick hands, punching power, good hip resistance, great fighting experience. And he seems to be training seriously, which is not always the case. He also has flaws, including relatively slow legs that will make it difficult for him to move away from Wilder when he has to. That means he’s going to take some heavy punches. Can he take them? Wilder and Ruiz fight on the same platform (PBC), which should make negotiations easier.
Who wins?
Ruiz could do to Wilder what he did to Joshua… but it’s unlikely. Joshua gave up against Ruiz in their first fight. Wilder did not give up. And that’s assuming Ruiz will deal a big blow. He may not. Wilder, more agile and athletic, can beat Ruiz. And if he can’t, he still has his secret weapon to control the fight. Ruiz wasn’t a defensive boxer good enough to beat Wilder. Wilder KO 10.
OLEKSANDR USYK (20-0, 13 KOs)
Very few potential matches are as compelling as that. Usyk, who holds three of the four major heavyweight titles, is a master boxer who has once beaten a belt heavyweight, very hard in Joshua. He’s special. The question is whether he can withstand Wilder’s punches. The Ukrainian did the same before Joshua, which is a good sign for him. At the same time, he is not a born weight and no one is as crackable as Wilder. Ask Tyson Fury, who fell four times in three skirmishes with the “Bronze Bomber”. So it’s skill versus strength, though Wilder also deserves credit for a delivery system that worked for him to fight battle after battle. Fascinating things.
Who wins?
The fact is that Wilder can take down anyone if he lands his big right arm properly. That includes Usyk. I don’t think he will do that. Usyk survived two fights with Joshua and will do the same with Wilder, who is also a light opponent for his weight. Usyk is too smart, too strong. Usyk by decision.
ANTHONY JOSHUA (24-3, 22 KOs)
I like this match. It wasn’t long ago that these two knockout artists were undefeated and were on a collision course. Of course, that has changed. Wilder was stopped twice by Fury and Joshua had three defeats, including decisions against Usyk. However, they are still very popular boxers who can end any fight with a single punch, as we saw with Wilder last weekend. The pay-per-view numbers for Wilder-Joshua should show that fans are more interested in the good matches than the past failures. In addition, both of them yearn to reclaim their past glory. The Wilder-Joshua winner will take an important step in that direction and raise his profile. Add all of that up and you get a fun, exciting match.
Who wins? Joshua is heavier and has a better skill set than Wilder but the back puncher is much harder and stiffer. Wilder probably won’t knock Joshua down as quickly as he did with Helenius. He has to work for it. And Joshua will make him work hard. The Englishman will likely try to get past Wilder, as he did in the rematch against Ruiz. The problem for him is that Wilder can change the fight in an instant. He will hurt Joshua at some point. And Joshua will hurry. Wilder KO 11.
