Wilder is the biggest waste of willpower and athleticism In boxing history.

Or, and hear me out, he was an overachiever who started late, with zero natural skill at boxing and parlayed that into a five year championship reign and net worth of over fifty million dollars for his eight kids, one of which is special needs.

 

Your opinion, no one knows what goes on in the corrupt world of boxing behind closed doors.

Honor isn't going to pay for her surgeon, doctors and years of medical needs, but yes, doing whatever you have to in order to take care of your kids is, in fact, commendable. It's what a man does. He could have walked out on her life when she was born with spina bifida but he didn't.

I'm sure if faced with the same set of circumstances at age twenty, you would have would have risen above and been the greatest commendable heavyweight champion to have ever existed and not taken quick cash to help your own child.

Revisionism about starting training earlier wouldn't help Wilder at age twenty. He had power so rather than teaching him things that take years if not decades to learn, things that wouldn't have helped him at the time he needed it, they instead maximized his power and took it as far as it could go. For as gobshite as he is, he went farther than most ever do.

You are disappointed he didn't live up to your total expectations of him without considering the fact that having all the things you listed, like Stewart training him from age six, may not have improved him in anyway.

He made the absolute most of what he did have and you want what exactly? To drone on about what "might" have happened "if only..."

 

Unfortunately I don’t think even the great Manny Steward could do much with Wilder, since even as a prospect Wilder barely listened and I don’t see Steward having the patience considering how in demand he was.

 

He started late in boxing, never had to learn the basics, never developed instincts that came with a familiarity of doing something for a long time or starting young. His power took him to a certain level, but dealing with opponents having been around boxing since diapers, Wilder needs a deeper understanding of what needs to be done. He just doesn't have it and probably never will.

 

I agree with most of your post, but I don't understand why his daughter having a medical condition when he turned 20 would make it a bad idea for him to develop into a more sophisticated puncher. (Assuming he could do it.)

If you're using a boxing career to commendably support your family, improving your boxing ability would seem to be a good way to achieve your goals.

 

Of course he didn't, he's an idiot.

I see revisionism on guys like Wilder and guys like Mike Tyson. If only Cus lasted ten years longer, if only Wilder started earlier and it completely ignores the fact that some men just are not able, mentally or emotionally, to be that guy. The monster who rules for a decade, the spartan. They will never be that guy, its not in their mental make up.

 

Even with Steward in his corner - like you said - with his low IQ he would not be able to learn anything.

 

He needed money ASAP, so he starting fighting. Staying out of the pros to learn those fundamentals that take years would have hurt him in the present to profit him in the future, but all he could think about was the now.

So they maximized his power and sent him off to fight bums, trusting explosive knockouts would generate hype and money.

 

Fair enough. But you'd think there would be somebody in the pros who could work with him on the job to improve fundamentals. Valuev and Marciano both got their experience from professional careers, despite starting as poor fighters. Wilder was almost certainly better than either of them when he began.

 

Still Ike Ibeabucchi.

 

I dont get the critism tbh. Fair enough fury was too good for him...but furys the best heavyweight on the planet in most peoples minds and the thing that made the most difference probably more so than even the skill was the weight difference. Giving away 40 lbs is huge.

For a guy that people claim is on the wrong path...cant box...hes knocked out 40 of 41 opponents pre fury. The path he,s went downs actually been a massive success. Its allright saying his cv,s no good but in fairness hes made light work of guys that give respected names work. Like malik scott, stiverne, breazeale. Your doing something right if your getting rid of them in a round.

In 3 fights hes put the best heavyweight in the world over 4 times. What he does that everyone criticises...has only came up short against the best heavyweight who outweighs him by 40 lbs and is proving an ansolute nightmare for people to fight.

I think getting wilder to be a boxer would have probably been his downfall and it would have happened way before fury. Look at joshua...the other week everyone criticised him for becoming a boxer. Now everyones criticising wilder for being a fighter. You cant win. Wilders incredibly effective at what he does...it works. Just not against a guy 40 lbs heavier with great movement...great defence and iq to drain your energy using that extra 40 lbs.

Put him in with guys that arent smart enough or big enough to drain him and he could well finish them all off.

I say usyk and fury beat him...not sure about anyone else tho. Bearing in mind usyk and fury are going down as almost all time greats...hes not done too bad. Not sure being a boxer would have been enough to beat either of them two anyway. No ones a better boxer tha usyk and furys always gonna have that 40 lbs on him.

 

This won’t age well

 

TBH, Wilder is not really that athletic. He is physically gifted and can crack like noone else, but his build and height makes him a very clumsy fighter. He looks perpetually rocked/uneasy when he starts huffing and puffing.

I am sure it is his build. Skinny legs, big broad shoulders raises his center of mass, such that he can barely hold himself up when he has to dig deep. tons of heart non the less.