For six rounds Luis Ortiz schooled Deontay Wilder with a master class in the “sweet science” that had the WBC champion looking like he showed up to chemistry class without his homework. Then, before you could say “bombzquad” The “Bronze Bomber” does what the “Bronze Bomber” does, landing an explosive right-hand heard ’round the sports world.
Read: RANKED! | Deontay Wilder’s Best ‘Catching Bodies’ KO’s
Wilder (42-0-1, 41 KOs), showed once again on Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena that his great equalizer is what makes him special. Who cares if he’s not “technically skilled,” the “Bronze Bomber” possesses a “skill” that hasn’t been since in boxing since Mike Tyson’s heyday. “I’ve said it so often,” Wilder proclaimed in a post-fight interview. “These guys I’m fighting, they have to be perfect for 12 rounds, but I only have to be perfect for two seconds.”
Wilder’s win almost guarantees a rematch with Tyson Fury, who oddly seems to want to do everything but step into the boxing ring lately, although he did put out some fighting words via Twitter.
Nery and Ceja pile on pre-holiday pounds
Luis Nery (30-0), who is infamous for missing weight, showed up to the scales… overweight. His bantamweight fight vs. Emmanuel Rodriguez (19-1) was thus canceled.
The sloppy preparation triggered P4P superstar Naoya Inoue, who went on a “Monster” Twitter tirade about Nery, who is banned from Inoue’s native Japan for similar Tom Foolery.
For those who can’t read Japanese or have Google translate handy, Inoue wants Nery banned from the sport. To be fair, the undefeated Mexican star showed up only a pound above weight. Nery was offered a day to shed it. He refused.
Ceja vs. Figueroa dazzles
Nery and Julio Ceja saved their weight-loss plans for their New Year’s Resolutions. Ceja (32-4-1) showed up a weight-class heavier than the featherweight limit! Gulp. His fight vs. Brandon Figueroa (20-0-1) wasn’t thrown out, but his opponent’s world title was no longer up for grabs. While the bout got off to a rough start before it began, the fight was so damn good. There wasn’t much clinching or counter-punching, just straight on swinging. The action-packed fight was something out of a Fight Night video game as the two unflinching warriors traded punches at the center of the ring. While the fight ended in a well-deserved draw, everyone was a winner, especially the fans. Figueroa proved he was world champion material and Ceja’s weigh-in drama was quickly forgiven.
Santa Cruz cruises to boring victory
Unfortunately, we can’t say the same about the fight that was supposed to be the lead up to the main event. Leo Santa Cruz (37-1-1) won a title in his fourth different weight class. That impressive feat was marred by a listless performance as the 31-year-old Mexican star was on “Cruz control” against Miguel Flores (24-3). While a win is a win, Santa Cruz didn’t exactly show why anyone would want to see him fight Gary Russell Jr or Gervonta Davis.
“Tank” Davis fired back on Twitter like only he can:
