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.
Terence Crawford faced hefty criticism from the promoter of one of his rivals for winning the WBO title, and WBC champion Sebastian Fundora was knocked out in sparring.
The pound-for-pound king commented on the situation in a video posted this week. Crawford told Bernie the Boxer: “If Fundora is licking his chops after my performance against Israil Madrimov, then I should be licking my chops because Madrimov knocked out Fundora in sparring.”
According to Fundora’s promoter, Sampson Lewkowicz, the claims cannot be substantiated. Sampson stated that Fundora’s coach spoke with Madrimov’s coach, Joel Diaz, about Terrance Crawford’s viral statement. During Coach Diaz’s conversation with Coach Fundora, Diaz mentioned that Madrimov’s manager, Vadim Kornilov, was very concerned about false statements Crawford made during a sparring session that took place over five years ago, during which neither of them even touched the canvas.
Sampson added: “Per Madrimov and his entire team have stated that they have nothing but respect for Sebastian Fundora and his entire team and do not disregard lies and disrespect. Coach Fundora responded that “Team Diaz,” Madrimov’s coaching team, is family to him. Everyone has known each other from the Coachella Valley since childhood.
It noted: “The boxing community in the Coachella Valley is extremely tight-knit. We all respect each other for the work we put into our boxers. Coaching etiquette is an unwavering rule that we all follow. There are many ways to fight professionally without fabrication and frustration. Let me repeat: Madrimov and his team are God-fearing people and it is very unlikely that they would ever speak ill of Sebastian Fundora, his sparring sessions and the team. No amount of facts or truth will convince a simpleton that he is wrong.
Lewkowicz urged Crawford to step in and admit he was wrong.
“Terence Crawford should apologize for his naivety,” Lewkowicz said. “A great master like him should be above this kind of childishness.”
The bad blood that exists between both camps could intensify a planned bidding war between Fundora and Crawford for a potential unification of the WBA, WBO and WBC titles.
Crawford was expected to walk away from the auction scheduled for October 10 and take the rest of the year off. This scenario would allow Fundora to face Errol Spence. But since Lewkowicz said, “There’s no need for a champion like Crawford to engage in school gossip,” the multi-tasking champion may believe he has something to prove.
Lewkowicz concluded by saying that it is likely that there will be a Crawford vs. Fundora fight.
“The fight will already take place. Trying to ridicule the unified world champion by spreading stupid rumors is bad business for Crawford. You are 37 years senior. Instead, devote your time to training. You’ll need it.
In a welterweight crossroads on Friday, Quinton Randall prevailed over Janelson Bocachica with a unanimous decision victory at the Red Owl Boxing Arena in Houston, Texas.
The scores were 99-91, 97-93, 96-94, all for hometown fighter Randall (15-2-1, 3 knockouts), who continues his winning streak to two after losing consecutive decisions to undefeated fighter Brian Norman Jr. . and Gor Yeritsyan over the past year.
Randall, 33, showed excellent speed and punch selection against 25-year-old Bocachica, repeatedly beating him to victory.
– I’m not feeling well, man. Not my best. He is a dog. He is a warrior. I knew he would come to fight. I knew he would come to fight [and] “I appreciate him for even accepting the fight, knowing he’s away from home and knowing this is my home,” Randall said after the victory.
“But honestly, no matter where we were, we would have gotten the same result.”
For Bocachica (17-3-1, 11 KO), the defeat extended his winless streak to five, following decision losses to Alberto Palmetta and Roiman Villa, a draw against Shinard Bunch and not competing against Norman in his previous fight in March. Bocachica hasn’t won a fight since February 2021, when he defeated Mark Reyes Jr. split decision.
Randall says he plans to return to the ring on December 7 at the same venue.
“This is just the beginning, man,” Randall said. – You haven’t even seen my ceiling yet. You haven’t even seen me at my best. I need more fights like this on a regular basis so that you all can see the absolute best version of me and if we can achieve that, I believe I will be a world champion by the end of next year.”
The ten-round fight was the highlight of the latest installment of Red Owl Boxing’s “Boxfest” series and was broadcast live on DAZN.
In the co-main event, Tipton Walker Jr. (10-0-1, 6 KO) defeated Marquis Moore (11-2, 7 KO) by unanimous decision, with the scores being 77-75 on two cards and 78-75 on the third.
It’s the fourth straight victory for 28-year-old Walker, of Benton Harbor, Michigan, whose only blemish was a draw in 2019 with professional spoiler Clay Collard.
Also in action, Houston native Giovanni Marquez (11-0, 6 KO) remained undefeated, defeating Thomas Guillemette (8-3, 4 KO) in the second round to remain undefeated. Marquez, 23, dropped Frenchman Guillemette with a right hand, forcing the referee to stop the fight after Guillemette got to his feet on unsteady legs.
Nick Ball was in good spirits at today’s final press conference ahead of his first defense of the WBA featherweight title against Ronny Rios.
Ball will face Rios next Saturday at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool in front of a wild crowd. Ball will return to boxing in his hometown for the first time since 2020, and has spent his last two fights in Saudi Arabia – his first was a controversial draw with WBC champion Rey Vargas, followed by a victory over Raymond Ford to win the world title.
Ball is thrilled to have the opportunity to fight in front of his beloved Liverpool crowd and will share the stage with four of his stablemates from Everton’s buzzing Red Triangle gym.
“This event is huge, isn’t it, that it’s in Liverpool, my hometown,” Ball told BoxingScene. “Everyone supports me, they will come out to support me, and in previous fights they were not able to come. So this one they can, so I have to put on a show for them.
“The gym is flying, we are all flying in the gym together and we are going to put on a show for everyone who comes. It will be a special evening.”
Ball has become one of British boxing’s biggest talents in recent years, and his promoter, Frank Warren, has plans for him to become one of British boxing’s top stars. Such plans could go up in smoke if Ball lost to Rios on Saturday night.
Rios, now 34, is a veteran and will be making his third attempt at a world title. At today’s press conference, Rios was vocal about how his experience would be the key to victory. But Ball isn’t worried about that.
“Every opponent is perilous,” Ball said. “Boxing is boxing and when you go in there it’s perilous, you know. We all know this is what we signed up for, but I don’t focus too much on how perilous it could be. I’m the one worried about that, not him.
Ball and many boxing fans believe he should defend his two world titles on Saturday night after being awarded only a draw by the WBC against Vargas in his title fight. The current WBA champion has plans to win the celebrated green belt he was denied, as well as his remaining titles, if he defeats Rios on Saturday.
“I want the one who has the belts,” he said. “Yes, take it [WBC] belt, they will become united and undisputed, so yes, first place. Of course, I’m the world champion now, there are three more belts, I have to get them.”
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