On the surface it’s the type of fight that Evander Holyfield could overcome and win. But if he ends up hell bent on getting into a trading war with Wilder then he levels out the playing field a lot more evenly for Wilder
Holyfield is too canny, durable, skilled and tenacious here. He's only got one punch to worry about, he's not going to wear it much. If he gets hit hard he can come back too. I believe his strategy would be to smother him, grind him down. At the right range he'd counter that right hand too.
You have to favour Holyfield, he's much the superior boxer. But as Magoo said, if Wilder clips him with a good one and Holy loses his cool and tries to blast him out, Deontay's chances go way up. If I were Holy's coach my instructions would be simple: box this guy, protect your chin and the KO will come.
Holyfield would win easier in a brawl, 12 rounds is a dangerously long time to spend boxing at range against a guy that can kill a horse with a right cross.
One of the few times I'd like to watch commander vander land the headbutt low blow combo. Stick man would had it coming.
Wilder has no chance. None. Not even the proverbial puncher's chance. Wilder hits slightly harder than Bowe and Lewis, and is vastly inferior in every other respect.
I’ll go with the consensus. Wilder has no chance. Holyfield better in every facet aside from one punch power (though Evander had a peach of a left hook and solid right whereas Wilder just has that nuclear right). Evander would outbox, out brawl, out anything Wilder could do,
I'm going to go against the grain and pick Wilder. Wilders too fast and good at landing that shot. Wilders only needs a moment and he'd likely get it. Wilders got pretty substantial size advantages here.
The Holyfield of the Foreman & Bowe 2 fights who was bouncing on his toes firing of rapid like combinations would make Wilder look silly. Holyfield by wide UD although I'll give Wilder some credit he may give Holyfield 1 or 2 scares along the way clipping Holyfield with that right hand hurting him at some point. But Holyfield is too durable and has too much heart to be taken out by someone as limited as Wilder.