Heavyweight Champion Deontay Wilder Looking for a Little More Clarity

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No one confuses him anymore with shouts of “LeBron, LeBron, LeBron,” like they did in Beijing at the 2008 Summer Olympics; and there are not many queries in Tuscaloosa, Ala., these days like, “What position do you play?” mistaking him for a Crimson Tide football player.

By now, everyone in Tuscaloosa knows Deontay Wilder. “The Bronze Bomber” hopes to stir some more face recognition on Saturday, when he defends the WBC heavyweight title against Frenchman Johann “The Reptile” Duhaupas (32-2, 20 KO) on Premier Boxing Champions on NBC at 8:30 p.m. ET, from the Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Ala.

It will mark the first time a heavyweight title fight will be shown on primetime network TV since Larry Holmes defended the WBC belt against Carl “The Truth” Williams on May 20, 1985; it was also on NBC. Many hope it will signify the 29-year-old Wilder (34-0, 33 KO) getting one step closer to fighting world heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko -- because Wilder needs it, and boxing needs it.

Wilder likes to say that he is the “true” heavyweight champion, though his resume pales in comparison to Klischko’s. Despite this title defense being on national primetime network TV, it serves only as an infomercial as to who Wilder is. Wilder knows what he has to do to legitimize his claim as the world’s best heavyweight: Fight someone legit -- like Klitschko or an Alexander Povetkin (29-1, 21 KOs), who Klitschko dominated in Octobert 2013, knocking him down four times.

Basically, Wilder has to face someone valid in his next fight. It does not matter whether it is Povetkin, Bryant Jennings, Kubrat Pulev or anyone in anyone’s top 10. Creating a larger brand on title defenses against Eric Molina and the 6-foot-5, 241-pound Duhaupas does not help. In the meantime, Wilder is stressing patience while trying to sell both himself and his opponent.

“[Duhaupus] has never been knocked out before, and he’s a big guy; and he has the motivation of being the first Frenchman to win the heavyweight title, so I think there is a lot to like about this fight,” Wilder said. “I think the problem people have is that they’re not patient.

“My goal is to become the undisputed heavyweight champion,” he added. “I want to be the most popular boxer of my era. That takes time. Look how long it took [Floyd] Mayweather. It’s why I don’t care what people say, because a lot of them don’t understand boxing. Everybody thinks they’re an expert. They’re not. It’s why I don’t want to hear it. I’m trying to revive the heavyweight division.”

Wilder admits he would like to fight Povetkin next year and then go after Klitschko, if “Dr. Steelhammer” holds up his end by beating Tyson Fury in Germany on Oct. 24. Wilder-Klitschko will be the biggest heavyweight mega fight since Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson fought in June 2002.

The 34-year-old Duhaupus, however, would like to mess up those plans. He is coming off a 10-round majority decision over Manuel Charr in April. He weighed 240.5 pounds for the fight, just a pound under his heaviest fighting weight. His only losses came the two times he ever went 12 rounds. Against Wilder, Duhaupas may have to lighten up to stay with the quicker, faster WBC titlist. For his part, Wilder wants to put on another classic show, minus the minor third-round scare he received against Molina, when he was rocked for a second.

“I know there are whiners out there, but the Klitschko and Povetkin fights are coming,” said Wilder, who once had people think he was LeBron James at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and others in Tuscaloosa who used to approach him thinking he played football for the University of Alabama. “It’s what the public wants. It’s what boxing wants. It’s definitely what I want. I want to be the best heavyweight in the world with all of the belts, but I first have to beat [Duhaupas] and look good doing it. That’s where my focus is now.”

Joseph Santoliquito is the president of the Boxing Writer's Association of America and a frequent contributor to Sherdog.com's mixed martial arts and boxing coverage. His archive can be found here.