Deontay Wilder carries the hopes of a nation and the heavyweight champ insists: The future is bronze

  • Deontay Wilder defends WBC heavyweight title against Eric Molina
  • The title fight takes place in Birmingham, Alabama on Saturday night
  • The American has his sights set on Wladimir Klitschko and Tyson Fury

By Jeff Powell for the Daily Mail

Published: 14:03 EST, 8 June 2015 | Updated: 02:58 EST, 9 June 2015

Contemplation of boxing life after Floyd Mayweather becomes more intense with every day that the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world edges closer to retirement.

One man believes the hard old game has no reason for concern.

‘The future is large,’ says Deontay Wilder. ‘The future is bronze.’

Wilder, the 6ft 7in Bronze Bomber from Tuscaloosa, will set about proving as much this Saturday as he takes world heavyweight championship boxing home to Alabama for the first time.

As the knock-out holder of the WBC belt, Wilder is America’s great hope of bringing that symbol of its manhood, the undisputed heavyweight title, back to the United States.

That may well require him unseating Wladimir Klitschko, the long-reigning champion of all the other alphabelts.

Before that can happen, both these giants have other tasks to complete.

Deontay Wilder puts his WBC heavyweight belt on the line against Eric Molina on Saturday

Deontay Wilder puts his WBC heavyweight belt on the line against Eric Molina on Saturday

Britain’s own Tyson Fury is close to finalising negotiations for his own autumn challenge to Klitschko.

Wilder – who declares ‘I would be happy to fight either of them’ – must first take care to make no mistakes at the weekend against Mexican-American Eric Molina.

He has taken this tick-over fight, in a sold-out arena in Birmingham, partly by way of rewarding his loyal local fans but also because Fury had declared himself unavailable.

‘I’ve been working on Tyson for about three years and we had reached the point of negotiations,’ Wilder explains. ‘But the chance of a fight with Klitschko changed their plans.

‘Also, Klitschko and his team did not want one of their prospective opponents to be taken out of the mix by me beating Tyson. That’s OK with me because a fight with either of them – Wladimir in America or Fury in the UK – will be huge.’

WBC heavyweight champion Wilder has knocked out 32 of 33 victims during his professional career

WBC heavyweight champion Wilder has knocked out 32 of 33 victims during his professional career

Floyd Mayweather has the perfect record in the ring, having won WBC, WBO and WBA welterweight titles

Floyd Mayweather has the perfect record in the ring, having won WBC, WBO and WBA welterweight titles

With Klitschko-Fury in the works for late September or early October, Wilder takes on Molina in his first defence of the WBC belt.

As he does so, he makes this prediction: ‘Floyd Mayweather seems to be coming to the end. Boxing needs me to take over. I believe I can be the exciting new face.

‘There is nothing better than the heavyweights to keep the boom going. The fans love the big men.

‘Historically ours is the sport’s marquee division and it’s great for the game that it is coming back to life.

‘It’s also time to bring back the undisputed heavyweight championship to America, where it belongs.’

Wilder has his sights set on heavyweight rivals Wladimir Klitschko (right) and Tyson Fury

Wilder has his sights set on heavyweight rivals Wladimir Klitschko (right) and Tyson Fury

Klitschko and his now-retired brother Vitali have monopolised the belts on behalf of Ukraine and their adoptive Germany for a decade.

Wladimir, at 39, shows no sign of relinquishing his grip on the WBA, IBF, WBO, IBO and Ring world titles.

And while he knows that day will come eventually, he is not convinced that either Wilder or Fury will be his heir.

‘Anthony Joshua is the future,’ says Klitschko of Britain’s Olympic gold medallist at the London Games. ‘He is young, big, strong, fast, an athlete and a powerful puncher.’

Both Joshua and Wilder boast all-win records.

Britain’s own Fury is close to finalising negotiations for his own autumn challenge to Klitschko

Britain’s own Fury is close to finalising negotiations for his own autumn challenge to Klitschko

Joshua has stopped all 13 of his opponents. Wilder has knocked out 32 of 33 victims.

A fight between them seems inevitable.

Not just yet, maybe, although Joshua would welcome it tomorrow.

He says: ‘There is a big fight out there for me if David Haye makes his comeback. But I would be happy to meet Deontay before that. He has raw power but I believe I’m a better boxer.’

Fury will have his say on the matter. He believes not only will he get to Wladimir first but that he is the bigger man to end the Klitschko era.

If so, Wilder and Joshua will be beating a path to his door.

Either way, that road to the future will be paved with enough gold to make even Money Mayweather think twice about retiring after his 49th fight, in Las Vegas on September 12.

 

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