Boxing fans intrigued by the vicious power possessed by heavyweight Deontay Wilder may finally get their wish to see him tested against quality competition, as WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman may be forcing Bermane Stiverne to defend his new belt vs. the Bronze Bomber.
Stiverne, the first Haitian heavyweight champion in history, is eyeballing a fight with the top heavyweight in the word, Wladimir Klitschsko. That might not be his decision to make, though. "The agreements must be respected. We made that decision at the last convention and Deontay Wilder is the mandatory challenger. So Bermane Stiverne has to face him first," Sulaiman said.
Stiverne defeated veteran Chris Arreola for the second straight time on May 10, earning him his seventh consecutive victory. Overall Stiverne is 24-1-1 with 21 knockout victories and hasn't lost a fight since 2007 to Demetrice King.
His record is only slightly less impressive than Wilder's resume. He is the great hope on the American heavyweight scene, with a record of 31-0-0 with all 31 victories coming by way of knockout. The quality of his competition has come under fire though, and while he's been egging on Tyson Fury for a matchup, Stiverne is a very interesting alternative. Wilder is 6-foot-6 with an 83-inch reach, so his chin has scarcely been tested.
He's four inches taller than Stiverne, but the Haitian presents a big threat nonetheless, and has more experience against rugged opponents. Wilder doesn't see Stiverne as a threat to his unblemished record, and actually harbors resentment to him that led to an argument at Floyd Mayweather's May 3 fight.
'You have been trying to run from me, and you're still trying to run from me," Wilder said he told Stiverne in person. "But I'm the mandatory and you can't run. He was like, 'Ask Al Haymon. Ask Al Haymon, you're not the mandatory.' I was telling him, 'I am the mandatory, and if you win, I'm gonna whip you're a**, I promise you."
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