First off, you’ve got to give it up for Johann Duhaupas. Yes, he lost and got knockout out. But he was game, landed some leather, and exceeded everyone’s expectations by going well beyond 6 rounds right into the 11th before a merciful referee saved him from being pummelled. Wilder vs Duhaupas wasn’t nearly as bad as originally perceived.
The 34-year-old Frenchman actually tried walking down Wilder in the early rounds, trying to find a fight-changing blow, so he has my respect in abundance. The reason my praise begins with this guy is because he took a lot of abuse going into this fight.
Any underdog who can almost see the distance, make the champ think, and even give him the gift of a swollen left eye, has more than earned his money.
So how good was Wilder (35-0, 34 KO) tonight? In short, he dominated, got the knockout, and troubled Duhaupas (32-3, 20 KO) with his power on a number of occasions. He also impressed with the jab. But did Wilder, who retained his WBC strap, do exactly what was expected? No, of course not. Virtually everyone expected him to take care of business inside 6 rounds.
Catch PBC’s Highlights below (they are a little Wilder biased, oh well):
But we shouldn’t be trampling all over this hard-fought victory of his. Wilder – though he would never readily tell this to the media – seems to have some room to grow, and Duhaupas, like Eric Molina last June, taught him a few lessons. It’s all going to make him a better fighter before stepping in the ropes with another Top 10 Heavyweight.
Since defeating Bermane Stiverne back in January, Wilder is finally getting rounds! No bad thing for any champion looking to stay on top of a division. Alexander Povetkin, Wilder’s mandatory challenger set to be next, has a good 12-round tank, and so Wilder’s increasing rounds can only be seen as positive.
For the Wilder team and the man himself, Duhaupas came at the right time of the champ’s career. Duhaupas was a considerable stepping stone, and had his use bridging the class gap between Molina and Alexander.
Hey, you know what? Wilder vs Duhaupas wasn’t all that bad, after all, was it? Come on, admit it!
Mark Phillips is the Head Staff Writer/Assistant Editor at BoxingBase.com, and provides worldwide news, coverage and analysis – he can be reached via our Contact Page.
