In boxing, there will always be fighters who are considered knockout artists. There is something special about fighters who have the capability to remove the consciousness of another man. namely, Deontay Wilder. However, there is something even more special about heavyweights who have the power to knock someone. In the past, we’ve seen the likes of Mike Tyson, Earnie Shavers, and George Foreman.
In modern-day boxing, there is one man who is famous for the knockout.
Deontay Wilder.
Whilst the American may be on a downslide in his career there is doubt about Wilder’s destructive capabilities. Wilder has lost three out of his last four fights but there is doubt that the American is still the biggest puncher in the heavyweight division. Wilder’s right hand is the biggest weapon in the heavyweight division and can put his opponents to sleep in an instant.
I’m going to look at what makes the American’s right hand so dangerous and why it has been able to paralyse fellow heavyweights.
Wilder’s body type
Power often comes from the shoulders and your legs with fighters naturally winding up before they release the killer blow. If you look at fighters such as Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou it is easy to see why they can bulldoze their opponents.
Embed from Getty ImagesBoth AJ and Ngannou have a huge upper body and are built like bodybuilders so the power both men have makes sense. However, with Wilder it is different. The Bronze Bomber not only has the power that both AJ and Ngannou have but there is an explosiveness to the way he lands the killer shot.
Wilder quite often springs across the ring which is unusual for a man of his size. The reason for this is Wilder’s body type. In his first bout against Tyson Fury, the American weighed in at 212½ pounds. In comparison, Fury weighed in at 256½. This was a whole 44½ pound difference and yet it was Wilder who knocked Fury down twice in the contest.
The Bronze Bomber has a skinny tall muscular frame like that of an NBA or NFL athlete. This is an athletic body type which means he is blessed with being fast and powerful through his genetics. Having this physique means he doesn’t necessarily need to pack loads of muscle on to be powerful. In combat sports the big muscular body types have power but the skinnier muscular guys are the ones who hit hard.
Embed from Getty ImagesAlex Pereira in MMA is another example of someone who doesn’t have the biggest muscles but can end in a destructive manner with one shot.
He’s back
Whilst may seem like something extremely specific to focus on if you look at the mechanics of Wilder’s body it becomes clearer. The American is in fantastic shape, but the stand-out feature isn’t his shoulders or arms. If you look at a lot of the Bronze Bomber’s knockouts, he often fully draws his arm back to deliver the knockout blow.
This is where his back muscles come into play. Naturally, your back links the rotational force from your torso to your hands when you throw a punch. When your back is as big as Wilder’s the force generated from your torso to your hands is going to be large.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe former WBC heavyweight champion can knock you out from a short range but it’s clear that he prefers to land from a distance where he can get his full leverage. This is why you see Wilder swinging wildly to try and land. When Wilder throws his right hand, it is always with the intention of the knockout. Due to the way Wilder is built, he must get the full leverage to land, and this requires the use of his back muscles.
Wilder’s Weight
Deontay Wilder is a tall heavyweight but in terms of his weight, Wilder is on the lighter side. The lowest Wilder has ever weighed in at is 212 pounds. To put this into perspective Tyson Fury’s lowest-ever weight was 245 pounds. Fellow heavyweight rival Anthony Joshua‘s lowest weight was 242 pounds. So, you would think this makes Wilder less powerful than the other two, right?
Also Read: Nifty Fifty Lottery Results & UK 49s: Your Guide to Winning Big
However, Wilder is a much harder hitter at 212 pounds than both Joshua and Fury. As previously mentioned Wilder has an athletic body type which allows him to move quicker than your average heavyweight. His weight is a big part of this. At 214 pounds Wilder closes the distance faster than any heavyweight in the division. Remarkably at 214 pounds, Deontay Wilder can take any heavyweight off his feet.
Embed from Getty ImagesWilder being lighter on his feet allows him to punch faster and in turn, punch harder. In his second bout against Tyson Fury Wilder weighed in at 231 pounds and this affected his performance. Of course, Fury put on an impressive performance, but Wilder was too heavy to explode and let the right-hand fly.
With Deontay Wilder being a lighter weight, he can move quicker. As the old saying goes it’s the punch you don’t see that hurts you. The American’s speed being such a lighter heavyweight is what makes his power so devastating.
Image Credit: Deposit Photos