DEONTAY Wilder promised to get back to his ancient ways on Saturday evening. Fans were confused and at times frustrated that the one-time destroyer couldn’t pull the trigger in the same spot last December against stalwart Joseph Parker.
There will be no repeat of the timid imitation weapons that appeared on the Kingdom Arena, insists Wilder, who claims he rediscovered his penchant for violence just in time to deliver Zhilei Zhang’s punishment.
“As I promised the Kingdom the first time, I failed to pull the trigger, but here I am again, I have a second chance to be able to pull the trigger, so I can’t wait to do it. He finally gave the Kingdom one of those stimulating and dramatic knockouts,” he purred to the gathered media.
Describing himself as the toughest boxer in history, Deontay has certainly made a name for himself by eliminating opponents in a way not seen in many years in the heavyweight division.
The victims weren’t just knocked out; they were sent to another dimension by a clearly technically flawed warrior capable of turning everything around with a flick of his wrist.
“What I am doing to man in this body is nothing like anyone has ever done before. But I can say that I have lost my passion. I lost love for this business because of a lot of things that happened,” he lamented.
“But at that moment my fire was rekindled. Especially coming to the Kingdom, being able to be accepted for who I am, having that passion and being able to speak the way I want.
“I speak from my heart, I let my mouth translate into what my heart says as a warrior. I just tell people how I feel as a fighter.”
Delivering monologues with the reflective flair of a seasoned evangelist, Wilder argues that those who criticize his efforts stick around to watch the entertainment unfold and are therefore complicit in his actions.
“When you go to war, you don’t try to make sure no one survives, you try to eliminate every single one of them if they are the opposite of you, do you understand me?”
It is difficult understand such emotional language. The problem is that Zhilei Zhang’s opponent can hit difficult himself. While Joe Parker took advantage of Wilder’s pensive mood to pick his punches and take rounds, Zhang will likely drop his hands early and often.
“I like Zhang, you know, I like his fighting style. I like his large head, it will be a large target to hit. At least it’s an effortless target to hit,” smiled 38-year-old Wilder.
Does the former WBC champion feel the pressure of a career-ending night?
“It will be stimulating to come on Saturday night and see what happens. As he said, you have Chinese power against Alabama’s power. Ultimately, we know that the electricity won’t be turned off, but someone’s lights will be.
Wilder has such a tendency not only to shake his head, but also to gossip, he has even managed to turn his relationship with Eddie Hearn into a positive one.
“I am [the] the type of person I love to change and that’s what we need in the world. Many people in the world can learn a lot from this.
“I feel like we all need each other and the only reason we are at war with each other is because of different cultures, different regions, different religions, different things, [is] because we don’t understand each other.
“I really feel like Eddie is a promoter, and what promoter wouldn’t want to promote Deontay Wilder? One of the wildest, one of the knockout artists of his generation – of all time?”
All Wilder cares about right now is beating Zhang (the only thing about boxing, anyway), but if he can rekindle his ancient energy and look impressive, the fight with Parker will quickly become a bump in the road to oblivion.
Who knows where this road ultimately leads? For Tyson Fury, a man who has already exerted dominance over Wilder, next up is a rematch with Oleksandr UsykDeontay could remain on the fringes of the title.
There will always be opportunities for someone this stimulating. The Fury-Usyk clash two weeks ago provided the kind of high-octane, crazy fun that the American finisher has consistently provided since his 2008 debut.
“I thought [Fury vs. Usyk] it was a great fight,” he agreed. “I was on the edge, I didn’t know who would win. I always think the dog brings some bite to the fight, and Oleksandr’s bite was bigger than his and I think he was definitely robbed in the ninth round knockout.
“There were gifts, gifts, gifts, you know, but ultimately he [Usyk] he won and congratulations. Gigantic congratulations to him and I wish him every success in his further career.”
Both Wilder and Zhang can add something to the gift-giving this Saturday night when the world waits for someone to finish fighting and be remembered by KO.
In a clash of forces between two world title contenders, NABO welterweight titleholder Alexis “Lex” Rocha (25-2-0, 16 KO) will put his skills to the test against undefeated knockout and NABF welterweight titleholder Raul “El Cugar “. Curiel (15-0, 13 KO).
The 10-round main event will take place on Saturday, December 14, live from the Toyota Arena in Ontario, California, and will be broadcast worldwide on DAZN.
“‘The best versus the best’ is Golden Boy’s mantra and that’s what fans will see as Rocha and Curiel take on everything that’s on the table,” said President and CEO Oscar De La Hoya. “Rocha is a veteran whose goal is to win the world title, Curiel is an undefeated blue-chip prospect with huge potential. It’s really a 50/50 fight and I’m looking forward to it.”
Tickets for the Rocha vs. match Curiel will go on sale on Friday, October 11 at 10 a.m. PT and will be priced at $100, $75, $50 and $25, excluding applicable service fees. A confined number of Golden Boy VIP Experience tickets will also be available, including exclusive merchandise and fight night upgrades. Standard and VIP tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com, Toyota-arena.com, Goldenboy.com or at the Toyota Arena box office from Monday to Friday from 12:00 to 16:00
“I’ve seen Raul Curiel all these years and he never once mentioned my name,” Alexis Rocha said. “After my last defeat, he suddenly became interested in fighting me. If he thinks I’ve lost a step or somehow had an simple fight, he’s in for a rude awakening. I can’t wait to make a statement and show the world what I’m capable of.”
Santa Ana, California Rep. Alexis “Lex” Rocha comes from a struggling family. The younger brother of Ronny Rios, he was the youngest fighter to win a gold medal at the Junior Olympics at the age of 14 in 2012 and caught the attention of the boxing world by becoming a six-time national champion during his amateur career. Rocha signed with Golden Boy in January 2016 and made his professional debut in March 2016, defeating Jordan Rosario at the Belasco Theater in Los Angeles. Since then, he has amassed an enviable record of powerful knockouts over top contenders and plans to return to world title contention, with his last fight being a victory over undefeated Santiago Dominguez on July 19 last year.
“The fans can expect a war,” said Raul Curiel. “I’m going to prepare well to put on a great show. This will be the most essential fight of my career so far. I know Alexis is a great fighter, a good opponent and will also show up prepared. My focus is on Alexis and if I can beat him, I know it will give me a chance to fight for the world championship.
Former unified lightweight champion George Kambosos approached promoter Eddie Hearn asking for more massive fights.
Kambosos has signed a co-promotional deal with Eddie Hearn, under which the Greek-Australian slugger will continue his association with DiBella Entertainment Inc. and his own company, Ferocious Promotions.
The 21-3 star will move up to the super lightweight division of Matchroom Boxing’s lively division. He aims to become a two-weight world champion in early 2025, and as part of the deal, a title fight is promised as long as he continues to win.
Since his stunning victory over Teofimo Lopez, Kambosos has never shied away from competing against the best. Those three losses on his resume came to Devin Haney [twice] and Vasily Lomachenko, all at home and all for world titles.
The 31-year-old is now set to face compatriot Liam Paro after defending his IBF title against Richardson Hitchins in December in Puerto Rico.
“I am thrilled to be working with Matchroom Boxing. I am excited to have signed a three-way promotional cooperation agreement with my long-time promoter DiBella Entertainment Inc. and Ferocious Promotions,” Kambosos said.
“I made great success and history when I moved up the Matchroom shows by winning my UK elimination fight against Lee Selby. The most noteworthy and unforgettable is my victory against Teofimo at Madison Square Garden in Up-to-date York to become the 135-pound world champion.
“I am officially announcing that I will be moving up to 140 pounds and signing with Matchroom will ensure my continued success and the legacy I want to leave in the sport of boxing.”
Hearn, who adds an experienced campaigner to his stable, added: “I am delighted to welcome George to the team. George’s victory over Teofimo tore up the script and showed that George was the man for the massive time. He has proven to be a huge attraction in Australia and one of the real driving forces behind the rapid growth of boxing Down Under.
“The 140-pound division is full of massive names and massive potential fights. Adding George to the mix only elevates the level, and a possible fight with Liam Paro is a truly appetizing prospect. If Liam manages to win in a great fight against Richardson on December 7th [the fight could be on].
Lou DiBella, who has worked with Kambosos for years, said: “I’m glad I was able to make a deal with my antique buddy Eddie to work with George Kambosos Jr. and Ferocious Promotions.
“Throughout his career, George has been a fighter who has never shied away from a challenge, and now he wants to test himself against top junior welterweights.
Matchroom works with top 140-pounders, including George’s compatriot Liam Paro, and, like DiBella Entertainment, is heavily invested in Australia.
“It’s a natural partnership,” added the Up-to-date Yorker.
One of the hottest topics surrounding Mike Tyson’s return at the age of 58 was the possibility of the boxing legend scoring a knockout of Jake Paul.
WBN has weighed in on this topic several times, questioning the validity of five-second training clips that revealed nothing about Tyson’s abilities at this overdue age. One of the most intriguing observations during the preparations was the opinion of UFC commentator Daniel Cormier.
Speaking on his show “Funky and the Champ,” Cormier reflected on Tyson’s social media videos and offered an informed opinion on the meaning of the clips.
“I understand that [he is in amazing shape at 58]and I understand what he is saying [he feels as though he can compete]– Cormier said. “And I agree that when he hits the pads with Rafael Cordeiro, it looks like there’s still something left in him.
“But then I watch Jake Paul fight Mike Perry. I saw Jake Paul get overwhelmed to the point where he started to feel uncomfortable. It looked like Mike Perry had a chance. But Jake has a reserve tank he can go to and benefit from because he’s 28 years ancient. Then he comes back and finally finishes Mike Perry.
“At the beginning of the fight, Mike Perry gets beaten up and dropped. He looks trained and unmatched. This worries me because what if it looks like a 58-year-old man fighting a 28-year-old man while Mike can’t employ the backup tank to stay and compete with this newborn kid? I think it’s a failure for Jake Paul because if you beat Mike Tyson, everyone will love him.
He added: “What if Mike knocks him out? It’s over. Everything is ready. This would be the backfire of all time. If he gets knocked out, nothing like that has ever happened in the history of the sport.”
Unfortunately for Tyson, this revenge backfired spectacularly, as the former heavyweight champion’s return was the only event that bombed. Tyson had nothing left twenty years after he had nothing left in his tank and no desire to box in his mind.
Paul parlayed this into a money-making scheme that would forever be a success for him and his company, but would be poorly received by the die-hard boxing fraternity.
Cormier’s words resonate, especially after what happened in the ring when Mike Tyson struggled to shift into first gear, warning former fighters thinking about returning after 50.
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