WILDER AIMS FOR 50-0 RECORD SAYS TRAINER
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 18 Nov 2017
According to his head trainer Jay Deas, WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder (39-0, 38 KOs) is aiming to become the first fighter in the heavyweight class to win with a 50-0 record. Rocky Marciano reached a slate of 49-0 before he retired. Floyd Mayweather, broke Marciano's record when he obtained 50-0 by stopping Conor McGregor. Deas believes Wilder can achieve that target and has enough time to accomplish that feat, provided he is injury-free.
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?Deontay?s motivation is to be the first heavyweight to 50-0 because then he can see the light at the end of the tunnel. You never really know what will happen in someone?s career but providing everything went well and he?s injury-free, I think Deontay can do that and I think he has about six-to-eight years left in him to do just that," Deas told Boxing News. Wilder used some of his booming punches, that were unleashed in a windmill manner from awkward angles.
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Deas said his boxer always swung punches like that, and they have refined his technique over the years and worked on his jab, straight hands and other textbook punches. "He always had that kind of awkwardness about him, though; in the way he did some things. At first, I tried to get that out of him and smooth it all out but he?s surprisingly very accurate when he does that. It?s quite effective...I?d like him to focus on the textbook stuff but if his awkward punches work too, I?ll let him do that," added Deas.
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Former welterweight champion Jessie Vargas (27-2, 10 KOs) returns to the ring for the first time in 13 months after dropping a 12-round decision in a WBO welterweight title defense against Manny Pacquiao in November 2016. He will face veteran Aaron Herrera (33-7-1, 22 KOs) in the 10-round main event on December 15 in Lancaster, California. In the co-main event Diego Chaves (26-2-1, 22 KOs) and Jamal James (21-1, 9 KOs) clash in a 10-round welterweight bout.
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Sadam Ali (25-1, 14 KOs) may not be the opponent most fans want to see fighting Miguel Cotto (41-5, 33 KOs) on December 2 at Madison Square Garden in Cotto's farewell fight. But Ali has the fight, and he grabs the chance to retire a boxing legend, who is at the twilight of his career. But Cotto showed that he can still fight with a convincing victory over Yoshihiro Kamegai. "It's a huge challenge, a big step up. The biggest opponent in my career, and I'm also moving up to another weight class," Ali said.
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But the 29-year-old Ali said he Ioves the challenge, and is ready to do whatever he has to do. ?I've been fighting since I was eight years old, and I've been in big arenas...But this is the opportunity of a lifetime, and I took the challenge against a legend... I fear nothing, and I don't hold back. This is the opportunity of a lifetime in Madison Square Garden. It's going to be amazing. I feel like we're going to put on a great show, and I'm excited, and I'm ready," added Ali.
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Ali admits that, like many of boxing afficionados, he?s been a fan of the 37-year-old Cotto. ?I followed his career, and I've also been to a few fights. I always liked his style and what he did,? he said. ?He's fought the best. He's had some great fights. So if you love boxing, you're going to grow up watching Miguel Cotto.? As for the fight itself, Ali says he has prepared for it, and that he?s not taking Cotto lightly as the multi-weight champion looks to retire with a bang.
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Richard Colon, the father of Prichard Colon, a boxer who suffered an unimaginable misfortune two years ago, went to Flint, Michigan from his home town in Florida to stage a protest on Terrel Williams, the man who caused injury to his son. Colon appeared during the weigh-in of Williams and his foe Rosemberg Gomez yesterday shouting from the audience, "Yo, yo, yo, look over here, this is the guy who put my son in a coma," according to ESPN.
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Colon held up a sign saying, "Boxing NEEDS TO REFORM, # PRAY 4 Prichard Colon." On his head, he wore a sign with "STOP THE FIGHT." He told ESPN that Williams should not be allowed to fight anymore as he believes the fighter consistently and deliberately fouled his son by punching the back of his head which caused serious brain bleeding that did permanent physical damage to his son. Prichard Colon survived the tragedy, but he suffered serious brain damage and is still could not walk or talk.
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"I would like a change in boxing, I want to prevent other boxers from going through what Prichard is and what we are as a family," Richard Colon said. "Boxing is a good game, but boxers need to follow the rules and the referees need to make that happen. Williams was looking to throw punches behind his head, rabbit punches, and he never tried to stop. He tried to hammer my son." Williams' fight against Gomez is his first since his match with Colon two years ago.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
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