By Derek Bonnett; Tyson Fury’s upset defeat of Wladimir Klitschko gave many boxing fans hope for a more exciting era of heavyweight boxing. This is a distinct possibility, but at what cost? Deontay Wilder is certainly creating some drama in the ring, but it’s not entirely because of his big knockout power. Since looking like a heavyweight to talk about in his victory over Bermane Stiverne, Wilder has thrice struggled against lesser heavyweight opposition.
Only Artur Szpilka resembled a contender, but even his was not a SecondsOut ranked top ten competitor. Vyacheslav Glazkov’s defeat to Charles Martin may have been due justice as Glazkov, although unbeaten upon entering the ring, had three questionable verdicts go his way in recent memory. The fact that he was stopped in three rounds, should make fans feel better about the division and the prospects of Martin. That is, if you did not actually watch the fight. Martin looked among the most un-refined heavyweight contenders to come along in awhile. Watching Martin’s awkward, ass-protruding punching style made me question how the hell he got a heavyweight title fight. After Glazkov tore his right ACL and could not longer continue, I cringed watching Martin being crowned because I knew right then and there who Deontay Wilder’s next opponent would be. Tyson Fury’s post-fight rants will make for well-played sound bites, but make no mistake, Wilder will keep his schedule in conflict with Fury’s as the real heavyweight champion moves toward his rematch with Wladimir Klitschko.
SecondsOut fighters On the Move:
On Saturday, January 16, at Barclay Center, Brooklyn, New York, USA, Deontay Wilder stopped Artur Szpilka in nine rounds of a WBC heavyweight title bout. Szpilka was dropped with a right hand in round nine. The end came at 2:24. Wilder notched his third defense and lifted his ledger to 36-0-0 (35). Szpilka crashed to 20-2-0 (15).
Wilder retained his number four heavyweight ranking at SecondsOut in spite of his third consecutive sub-par outing.
Also on the card, Charles Martin defeated Vyacheslav Glazkov by third round TKO versus in a vacant IBF heavyweight title bout. Glazkov hit the canvas in round three due to a injury to his ACL. The end came at the 1:50 mark. Martin improved his record to 23-0-1 (21) and captured his first world title. Glazkov fell to 21-1-1 (13).
Glazkov fell out of the SecondsOut heavyweight rankings with the defeat. Anthony Joshua climbed from tenth to ninth. Joseph Parker entered at the ten spot. Martin’s victory did not push him into the SecondsOut top ten.
SecondsOut ranked fighters in action through Sunday, January 24, 2015:
Saturday, January 23:
At Staples Center, Los Angeles, California, USA, Danny Garcia versus Robert Guerrero in a twelve round vacant WBC welterweight title bout
For a more in depth look at Derek Bonnett’s SecondsOut world rankings:
