“Artur Szpilka, when I hit him I thought I took his life,” Deontay Wilder.
There was a time, in case you’ve forgotten, when Deontay Wilder really was a scary, scary puncher. Wilder, who is set to return in April, and may or may not be all out of bullets, scored what was arguably his most chilling knockout on this day nine years ago. The defending WBC heavyweight champ faced Poland’s Artur Szpilka at Barclays Centre in New York, and the unbeaten “Bronze Bomber” gave us all a highlight reel KO in round nine.
Szpilka was game, and he had some success in some of the rounds, enough for the fight to be somewhat close on the cards after eight completed rounds (just 77-75 in favour of Wilder on one card), But then, in round nine, Wilder lowered the boom. Timing a savage right hand very well, this as an advancing Szpilka threw a left hand of his own, Wilder’s right landed flush on the chin and southpaw Szpilka went down hard, flat on his back, his arms outstretched.
As the third man tolled the count, the prostrate Szpilka didn’t move a muscle. It was only with the aid of replay that we all saw just how destructive Wilder’s well-placed bomb really was. Wilder had the crowd screaming, but he himself said later he was actually afraid he’d killed his challenger. Thankfully, Szpilka made a full recovery, with him continuing his career and managing to pick up four more wins.
Wilder, who advanced to 36-0(35) with his crushing of the 20-1(15) Szpilka, was “crude,” the critics said. Wilder was “raw.” Maybe. But Wilder was one heck of a lethal puncher. From round one to round 12, Wilder only had to hit a guy once and the fight would be over with. This is the Wilder we used to know, and enjoy watching. Who knows how much, if anything, 39 year old Wilder has left today.
Can Wilder, 43-4-1(42) and set, we hear, to face Curtis Harper in April, ever give us a highlight reel KO comparable to the one he gave the sport some nine long years ago today?
