What should be said about Deontay Wilder now?

[Gandalf]

My question is.... is Deontay Wilder teachable?

We all know his bad habits. He holds his hands too low... he moves straight back, his chin a target for a long-armed boxer... he looks amateurish when he goes for the kill, throwing any semblance of defense out the window and leaving himself wide open for a huge counter shot... his head movement leaves a lot to be desired... etc, etc. So can he be taught to correct those deficiencies?

For starters, he's got Mark Breland as a trainer. Now... I'm not gonna criticize the man because I haven't really seen him with other fighters, but.... one thing that struck me during the fight was how subdued Breland sounded. It's like the microphone would have to get really close to the man to be able to hear what he was saying to Wilder between rounds. I'm not saying he has to get in Wilder's face and become a screaming lunatic. But is he the one to help rid Wilder of his bad habits? Can he chew on Wilder's ear enough to improve him?

The raw material is there. Wilder is as athletic and powerful as any HW today. He can be harnessed. He's got raw talent, enthusiasm, and a lot of potential. But I think he needs a next level trainer, as well as some more rounds with credible competition, to bring that potential out.

I for one wish him well. I'm tired of seeing fat, blubbery heavyweights that look nothing like athletes, and those who have faced Wlad seem to cower into a shell.

Good post. Wilder is smart and maybe he has it in him to curb his rawness, but he just seems far too green to be a champion which sounds strange of a man with over 30 fights. His ride to the top has been TOO easy and he should have been testing himself and adapting on the way up. Instead he focused on knocking out journeymen simply to pad a KO record. It might well be his undoing. However, unlike Amir Khan I like the chap and hope he can improve. He just isn't ready for a Wlad Klitschko yet and looks a bit awkward with his belt right now. The last fight should have been much easier than it was. He was lucky his opponent was game yet very limited.

[IamInuit]

Once again the Wbc is involved so we will see where that goes. They are obligated by the "rules" to start negotiations with Povetkin and then if its undecided go to a purse bid. I doubt Haymon can outbid the Russians so look for some weasel like reinterpretation of what was supposed to happen but didn't.