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Why does Wilder continue to get so much flak?
Just a general question, mind you. Not singling anybody out... just a general observation. I'm also not claiming Wilder's the second coming of Muhammad Ali or anything of the sort. I thought I'd throw those disclaimers out there before the hounds are let loose.
Some theories come to mind.
a) His lack of boxing skills.
Wilder got a relative late start in boxing. Probably missed some of the traditional coaching afforded to fighters that start off as teenagers and have been in boxing all their lives. So he's predictably raw. Still learning... but raw. When he gets excited by hurting the opponent, he still gets wild and throws windmill punches which look ugly as hell. On the plus side, he's very athletic, which surely helps him overcome some of those boxing skill liabilities.
b) His early record of bums.
To be clear, I was one of the most outspoken critics of this from the very beginning. My patience was wearing a bit thin in that regard. But he's rectified that. To continue hanging that albatross around his neck when he's been fighting worthy competition for a while now... is a bit unfair. I know I do that too with a certain other fighter.......... but that's just because I can't stand him.
c) The nonsense he says and how he acts.
It's true... the whole "body on his record" nonsense pretty turned everybody off, myself included. I'm sure a lot of the other stuff he says rubs some people the wrong way. But he's basically an exuberant fighter, trying to cope with and enjoy his rising fame in the best way. Last night I saw him speaking after the fight, and he comported himself quite decently. So I'm willing to cut him some slack.
d) He'd "get his ass kicked by champions from other generations."
Yeah, ok. So what does that mean for the Joshuas and Furys of the current crop? That they'd somehow fare better? C'mon......That just sounds like hate to me. Fury's a light hitting heavy, gifted with extreme height and reach, good boxing skills, but fully capable of horribly nauseating fights, like the one where he beat Klitschko. He's also fought two barely live bodies after Wilder, something Deontay would be burned at the stake for. He trash talks a lot better than any heavy of today, so people love him. Joshua is a nice enough fellow... but his flaws were totally exposed by the rotund Ruiz. So you can't single Wilder out and say he'd be crushed by the old crop of heavies, while leaving out the others.
e) He only has the right hand and nothing else.
Well... lately that's all he's needed. But like I said, he's still learning and given his late start, I feel he's made some pretty good progress. Some here felt that Fury was shutting him out prior to his knockdowns and that's all fine and good, since opinions are a dime a dozen among boxing fans. I personally thought he was holding his own, and the decision could've gone either way. The rematch by all rights should have occurred immediately.... and it wasn't Wilder that blinked..... for whatever reason. Still not holding my breath that the rematch will actually take place.
f) First time he's in serious trouble he'll fold like a lawn chair.
Yeah, I thought like that too. But King Kong Ortiz had him in a heap of trouble in their first fight. Wilder, he of the non-existent boxing skills..... managed to get out of the round and eventually won by knockout. Again..... another learning experience.
I'm not a diehard Wilder fan... I'm just trying to level the playing field here. I'm actually a diehard boxing fan who's grateful that the division is back from its mind-numbingly boring years during the reign of Wlad.
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Originally Posted by ykdadamaja
. And I can't buy this he's still learning thing. Sure you can always add some polish but the man is what 35? He is what he is and as much as his eraser right hand carries forward so do the flaws which are a glaring part of his package now. By manufactured a bit I mean that with the exception of Ortiz 1..they've all resulted near exactly as expected going in. His last two years has been facing 3 late replacements in title fights..2 of which were nothing more than to repackage the whole huuuuuge puncher like Tyson talk, glacially slow Breazeale and a third trimester Stiverene who had zero intention of showing up for a fight. The Ortiz rematch was ok and fair play to Wilder but in large part meaningless and predictable. Not to mention Ortiz even getting another opportunity after juicing up twice. And again he was being shut out. Then there was Fury, who like others actually got up off that right hand and had in large part boxed Wilders ears. He goes on about devastating a Szpilka or a Liakhovich and talks about thinking he killed them. Truth is they were both bombed out prior and bombed out after by others. Now I know this sounds like a pure slag on a man who has done nothing but win, save for one, and that's all you can ask of a guy. For that Wilder should be respected and does bring an air of 'personality' and excitement. Well done for him. But in an odd way it almost feels boring imo. Then again I've always thought the heavyweights a bit overrated and have never liked the tunnel vision focus of raking up ko numbers which can be stacked up like legos. It's not a hate. For all the bluster he seems a decent enough cat. I just don't think he comes remotely close to accomplishing or applying skill and competing on the levels of so many of those earlier heavies.
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