Some people are giving Johann Duhaupas a chance on Saturday. He’s 6′ 5″, usually weighs around 245 pounds, and has shown decent boxing ability during his 12-year career. He’ll likely never be a household name, but recent solid performances against Manual Charr (MD 12) and Erkan Teper (Loss, UD 12) have shown just what he can do.
Then there are the people who say Duhaupas is just another victim in waiting, set to be violently knocked out. And 6′ 7″ Deontay Wilder is looking to make that prediction a reality on Saturday night at the Legacy Arena, Birmingham, Alabama.
Partly because Wilder specialises in concussions, and also because the PBC event will be airing on free network NBC, which will capture a large casual boxing fan audience. In short, this is Wilder’s time to shine and further build his fan base, setting up huge paydays against the likes of Alexander Povetkin, Tyson Fury, Wladimir Klitschko, and Anthony Joshua.
“Due to the fact he’s [Duhaupas’] never been stopped, he don’t know what it is to be knocked out,” Wilder recently said in a media conference call. “I feel that I definitely need to win this fight by knockout.
“He’s never faced a guy with my caliber, with my speed, with my talent, with my IQ in the ring, and with my power. We’re going to see how the fight plays out. But I definitely feel I need a knockout in this fight.”
Knockout or not, Wilder just needs to ensure he never looks vulnerable or uncomfortable in this fight. A knockout victory seems like a given, but considering Eric Molina managed to tag Wilder early in their June encounter, Wilder shouldn’t go in trying to force a knockout from the onset.
Thoughts, fight fans? Does Johann Duhaupas have a shot here? Or is he just another knockout victim being fed to lion, Deontay Wilder?
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.
