Deontay Wilder v Bermane Stiverne II: WBC heavyweight championship – live!

Wilder (38-0, 37 KOs) makes sixth defense of WBC heavyweight titleSend Bryan a tweet at @BryanAGraham or email him 1.56am GMT Hello and welcome to Brooklyn for tonight’s heavyweight title rematch between Deontay Wilder and Bermane Stiverne. Wilder (38-0, 37 KOs) is making his sixth defense of the WBC’s version of the heavyweight title, a belt which he captured from Stiverne (25-2-1, 21 KOs) back in January 2015. That was the first real test of the Olympic bronze medalist’s career and he came through, although he was extended the distance for the first and only time to date.Wilder’s opponent tonight was meant to be rugged contender Luis “King Kong” Ortiz, but Ortiz flunked a drug test and Stiverne stepped in to save the show despite having only one fight in the last three years – a less-than-scintillating points win over the journeyman Derric Rossy in 2015. Which has made most observers not terribly optimistic about the Floridian’s chances and the event itself, though a spectacular performance by Wilder tonight would certainly stoke interest in a unification bout with Anthony Joshua, who defended the WBC and WBA titles last week in Cardiff. 1.09am GMT Bryan will be here shortly. In the meantime, why not look back on Kevin Mitchell’s assessment of the heavyweight division. Related: Anthony Joshua ‘needs to have a thrill – and boxing fans need it too’ Continue reading…
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