The heavyweight division is still aching to recapture its former glory. Although the division has taken the backseat in terms of popularity to the lower weight classes, there are still talented beasts roaming the heavyweight level that deserve everyone’s attention. Dominic Breazeale and Deontay Wilder will be locking horns in Brooklyn this month for the prestigious WBC heavyweight title. Will the former college quarterback upset Wilder? Or will the reigning WBC champ sustain his undefeated record and keep possession of his belt?
Wilder is clearly the favorite in the upcoming matchup with Breazeale. Apart from the fact that he’s the owner of the belt that’s going to be contested in Brooklyn, he’s also the more experienced and powerful fighter. And he’s also fully motivated. That’s after he saw his 40-fight win streak end in December of last year, when he had a draw with Tyson Fury. Not a few people think that Wilder was lucky to get a draw, as they believe Fury should have come out on top of that bout. Fury did a good job of neutralizing Wilder’s power for most of the fight, but got victimized by two late knockdowns that swung the favor to the man they call The Bronze Bomber. When it comes to raw power, Wilder definitely has a huge advantage over Breazeale. With 39 knockout wins in 40 fights, it’s hard to argue otherwise. Breazeale has taken the best of Joshua and lived to tell the story, but he hasn’t tasted the kind of power Wilder packs in his fists. Despite his testy fight with Fury, Wilder is not letting that close call dampen his confidence heading into the fight with Breazeale. Wilder does not believe that Breazeale is on his level, saying the latter is not worthy of a Pay-Per-View fight, and he could be correct – except that he will have to prove it also inside the ring.
Betting on Dominic Breazeale (+550)
Total fights: 21
Wins: 20
Wins by KO: 18
Losses: 1
Draws: 0
Breazeale wants to capitalize on a golden opportunity to etch his name in the champion record books. The 33-year-old native of Glendale, California has been undefeated in his last three fights. The last time he was inside the ring, he knocked out Carlos Negron in the ninth round. Breazeale’s fight with Wilder will be the biggest of his career since he faced off with Anthony Joshua for the International Boxing Federation World Heavyweight belt in 2016 in which he lost via technical knockout in the seventh round. Breazeale also has a blue chip on his shoulder with some questioning the right he got to face Wilder since there’s another fighter in Dillian Whyte who’s rated higher than him, though, that’s not fazing Breazeale. In fact, he tried to take shots at Wilder by saying Joshua is “1o times better than Wilder.” Maybe it’s just the marketing person in Breazeale that made him say that in order to do his part in selling the fight, but he should also know that it will also lit more fire underneath Wilder. All that being said, Breazeale is someone who’s just going to fold easily against anyone. He possesses a decent right hand power that could stun Wilder. Surviving seven rounds against Joshua while taking powerful blows that could have toppled any other boxer in earlier rounds was also a concrete evidence of Breazeale’s toughness, though, he will still need to come up with a great defensive strategy to keep away from Wilder’s devastating power.
Writer’s Prediction
Wilder detonates and knocks Breazeale in the fifth round.
