By Michael Collins: It’s no secret that unbeaten heavyweight prospect Deontay Wilder (24-0, 24 KO’s) has received a whole mess of criticism from boxing fans for the opposition he’s faced since turning pro in 2008 after having captured the bronze medal in the 2008 Olympics. However, much of the criticism that’s been heaved Wilder’s way has been more than a little unfair, because it appears that Wilder is being punished for beating guys too easily.
He’s looking too good and it seems to give the impression that his opposition is worse than it really is.
This is something that Wilder’s trainer Jay Deas also believes, saying to RingTV “He’s fighting the same type of guys that that all those guys [Seth Mitchell and Eddie Chambers] fought coming up. It’s just that with Deontay, his guys are statistically a little bit better. It’s one of those things where if Deontay was 24-0, 16 knockouts, you wouldn’t hear a word.”
It’s because Wilder is blowing through everyone he faces and now has 24 knockouts in 24 fights and that gives the appearance that Wilder has faced worse opponents than he actually has. He’s facing the kinds of guys that you assume that a prospect with very little amateur experience would be fighting. Look WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. He didn’t have an amateur background either and he didn’t start fighting quality opposition until 2010, when he’d been a pro for seven years. It took seven years for Chavez Jr. to fight his first quality opponent and that was against John Duddy, who was more of a fringe level contender at best.
Wilder has been a pro for only four years now, and he only had a small amateur career before turning pro. Shouldn’t Wilder at least get the benefit of following in the same footsteps of Chavez Jr. before he starts taking heat from boxing fans for not facing the best? If Wilder was to follow Chavez Jr’s footsteps then he’ll have another three more years before he starts to face quality opponents because it took Chavez Jr. seven years.