By: Sean Crose
So yes, Deontay Wilder is past his prime. He’s simply not laying guys out like he used to. Say whatever you will about the man, he was frightening for a while. He may not be as frightening as he was, but he still has one ace in the hole…. he’s fun to watch. Always has been. Always will be. Saturday’s bout in London’s O2 Arena against Derek Chisora proved once again that Wilder makes for good viewing. This friends was a knockdown, dragout brawl. And no, it didn’t disappoint. Wilder and Chisora may constitute old timers at this point in their careers, but they still deliver the goods.
No one was expecting a fight on the level of Ali- Frazier on Saturday. They wanted a war between two grizzled warriors. And that’s exactly what they got. Make no mistake about it – even though Wilder won the decision after the final bell – Chisora was there to win. It was not to be sure a walk in the park for the colorful American. He had to earn a win from gutsy Englishman Chisora. It was not, I repeat not, an easy night’s work for Deontay Wilder.
Of course, one can’t talk about Wilder now without talking about his age. He’s in his fifth decade, which means that the end of his career is far closer than the beginning. Let’s face it, Wilder’s never been a stylist. Rather, he’s been an awkward, lanky extremely hard-hitting customer who can end a fight against a more talented man simply by landing one of his power shots. I have said and continue to say that Wilder is the hardest hitting boxer I’ve ever seen. No one has been able to prove otherwise as far as I happen to be concerned.
Indeed, even in his forties Wilder is able to hurt a quality opponent. Just ask Chisora, who got nailed repeatedly by Wilder in the eighth round on Saturday. Chisora went down but got up gamely. Things got strange though when it looked like Wilder was actually showing mercy on his fellow aging pugilist. That may have been an act, of course, as Wilder was probably exhausted. But I don’t think so… and if you watched the bout, there’s a good chance you didn’t think so either. Wilder has been well known to be an empathetic man for years after all.
A word has to be given in appreciation of Chisora as well. The way he kept coming at Wilder was impressive. His crouch style was reminiscent of Joe Frazier and Jack Dempsey. Unlike those two men, Chisora has never reached the near Olympian heights of the heavyweight division. He’s been a good opponent for many a fighter, however, Wilder being no exception, and he deserves a ton of credit for putting it all on the line over and over again. Chisora is not a fighter to play it safe. Say what you will about the man, there’s no doubt he’s a warrior and has been for years now.
When all was said and done, even an English crowd rooting for their countrymen couldn’t keep Wilder from putting another win on his resume on Saturday. He didn’t get the knockout but he showed he still has something left. He may not be who he was but he can entertain. That’s something he actually deserves credit for. Entertainment value isn’t the end-all be all but it does count for something, and Wilder has been entertaining people for fight after fight for who knows how long at this point. Purists may roll their eyes at him, but those of us who know better realize what a treat he can be in the ring.
Who knows what Wilder’s going to do from here? Chances are that since he’s won he’ll want to continue on. I wouldn’t mind seeing him call it a career, however. He is Hall of Fame bound whether people like it or not and I think he’s deservedly so. He’s never avoided an opponent. as far as anyone can tell. He’s been a wrecking machine more often than he hasn’t. And, yeah, he’s been underrated by boxing’s brahmin. The guy’s not above criticism, but he’s worth a lot of praise as well.
