American Finally Has A Real Heavyweight Boxing Contender In Deontay Wilder

Photos by Esther Lin for Showtime

by Gautham Nagesh

There are countless reasons why boxing is no longer prominent in the U.S., but for many the problem boils down to one thing: the lack of compelling American contenders in the heavyweight division. For years the DMV’s Tony “The Tiger” Thompson has carried the flag for American heavies, but Thompson has fought for the title twice and lost. No U.S. fighter has held the real heavyweight championship since Hasim Rachman briefly borrowed the belt from Lennox Lewis in 2001.

Olympic bronze medalist Deontay Wilder did his best to put that trope to rest on Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, skillfully dispatching Bermane Stiverne of Haiti to firmly establish himself as the number one contender to heavyweight champ Wladimir Klitschko. Beating Klitschko is a tall task, but Wilder looks more capable of doing it than anyone else in recent memory.