On Saturday night Brooklyn held it’s first heavyweight title fight in 115 years and the excitement is still fresh from the big weekend. After some enticing performances in the undercard fights, Deontay Wilder knocked out Artur Szpilka in the 9th round, sending him out of Barclays Center on a stretcher. Wilder retained his WBC title while earning the 35th knockout out of his unblemished 36-0 record.
With former heavyweight champs Lennox Lewis and Brooklyn’s own Mike Tyson in attendance, this fight lived up to the expectations that many fans had coming up to this contest. Wilder was predicted to win this fight and his menacing power with his right hook was on full display on Saturday night. He continued to deliver one crushing blow after another. Of the 75 punches that Wilder landed, none was more punishing than the last one, which had so much power that it sent the Polish contender to the hospital. After having some medical tests, Szpilka was cleared by doctors and released from the hospital that night.
The real action at Barclays Center actually began after Wilder sent Szpilka to the canvass for a 9th round knockout. In attendance was Tyson Fury, the WBO and WBA titleholder who is certainly looking for a big payday with an upcoming fight against Wilder. Running into the ring, Fury began to taunt Wilder and antagonized the Brooklyn crowd who were amazed at the classless display that was going on.
Grabbing the microphone and calling Wilder a punk, Fury seemed very comfortable playing the role of bad guy. Many of the fans in attendance who were exiting the arena decided to go back to the their seats to see what all of the commotion was about.
Now the heavyweight division is looking at what will be the biggest fight in years as it sets up an epic slugfest between Fury and Wilder. With the WBA, WBO, and WBC titles on the line, this fight would unify all three belts and declare a true champion in the division.
Certainly, this matchup, which will most likely take place in Fury’s United Kingdom homeland, will generate a lot of buzz in the heavyweight division, which has lacked this kind of excitement for several years.
Wilder certainly earned his victory over the weekend, but this was a fight that he was supposed to win.
Now the real pressure is on as he looks to get into the ring with Fury, who is no stranger at self-promotion. And while Wilder was able win this fight in 9 rounds, he will have to do a better job next time if wants to go toe to toe with the likes of the Irish Fury, who is fresh off a big win against Wladimir Klitschko last November to take the other belts.
