Bermane Stiverne vs. Deontay Wilder was a professional boxing match, billed as Return to Glory, was a professional boxing match contested on 17 January 2015 for the WBC heavyweight championship.[2]
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| Date | 17 January 2015 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Venue | MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Title(s) on the line | WBC Heavyweight Championship | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tale of the tape | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Result | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wilder defeated Stiverne by 12th round Unanimous Decision | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Background
editFollowing the retirement of Vitali Klitschko in December 2013, Bermane Stiverne stopped Chris Arreola to win the vacant WBC belt.[3]
It was announced on 13 December 2014, during the broadcast of Amir Khan vs. Devon Alexander, that Stiverne would make his first defence against 2008 Olympic Bronze medalist Deontay Wilder. Wilder had an impressive record of 32 knockouts, albeit that lack quality opposition, with only Sergei Liakhovich, Malik Scott and Audley Harrison standing out on his record.[4] There were also questions over his chin after he was knocked down against journeyman Harold Sconiers in 2010.[5]
This was the first Heavyweight title bout at the MGM Grand since the infamous "Bite Fight" in June 1997.
Heading into the bout boxing insiders were divided on who would win, although most expected it end in a stoppage for one or other fighter.[6][7]
The fight
editWilder was by far the more active boxer throwing more than double the amount of punches, using his height and reach advantage and keeping Stiverne on the outside with his left jab.[8] At the end of the second round Stiverne, apparently hit by a punch, fell forward, which sent himself, Wilder and referee Tony Weeks down to the canvas. Weeks ruled the incident as not a knockdown.[9] At the end of 12 rounds all 3 judges scored the bout for Wilder, with scores of 118–109, 119–108 and 120–107 giving him a Unanimous Decision win, becoming the first American to hold a version of the heavyweight title since Shannon Briggs was beaten by Sultan Ibragimov in 2007.[10] The AP had it scored 117–111[11] and The Guardian had it 118–110 for Wilder.[12] This stands as Wilders only win not via KO.
Aftermath
editIn the post-fight press conference Wilder said that he wanted to fight unbeaten British contender Tyson Fury next before finishing the year with a showdown for Undisputed with Wladimir Klitschko.[13] Although there were doubts raised with this plan, given Wilder's adviser Al Haymon refusal do business with HBO and that Klitschko had two fights remaining on a three-fight deal with HBO.
Undercard
editConfirmed bouts:[14]
Broadcasting
edit| Country | Broadcaster |
|---|---|
 Canada |
TSN |
 Denmark |
TV3 Sport |
 Mexico |
TV Azteca |
 United Kingdom |
BT Sport |
 United States |
Showtime |
References
edit- ^ "Ring Rating:For ratings ended Jan. 03, 2015". ringtv.craveonline.com. The Ring. Archived from the original on 9 January 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
- ^ "Bermane Stiverne vs. Deontay Wilder (1st meeting) - BoxRec".
- ^ "Bermane Stiverne stops Chris Arreola for WBC heavyweight belt". eu.usatoday.com. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
- ^ Dan Rafael (14 December 2014). "Unbeaten Wilder to face Stiverne". espn.co.uk. ESPN. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
- ^ Martin Hines (16 January 2015). "Bermane Stiverne vs Deontay Wilder: Boxing on TV this weekend". independent.co.uk. The Independent. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
- ^ LEM SATTERFIELD (16 January 2015). "WRITERS AGREE: BERMANE STIVERNE VS. DEONTAY WILDER WILL END IN KO". ringtv.com. Ring Magazine. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
- ^ Bill Dwyre (16 January 2015). "Can Bermane Stiverne vs. Deontay Wilder add heft to heavyweight boxing?". latimes.com. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
- ^ "Deontay Wilder beats Bermane Stiverne to win WBC title". bbc.co.uk. BBC. 18 January 2015. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
- ^ "Boxing: Deontay Wilder outpoints Bermane Stiverne to earn WBC heavyweight title". skysports.com. Sky Sports. 18 January 2015. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
- ^ Scott Christ (18 January 2015). "Deontay Wilder beats Bermane Stiverne, first American to hold heavyweight title since 2007". badlefthook.com. Bad Left Hook. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
- ^ "Wilder captures WBC heavyweight title with win over Canadian Stiverne". tsn.ca. TSN. 18 January 2015. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
- ^ Mike Coppinger (18 January 2015). "Deontay Wilder proves he's no fraud against Bermane Stiverne". theguardian.com. Las Vegas: The Guardian. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
- ^ "DEONTAY WILDER WANTS TYSON FURY, THEN WLADIMIR KLITSCHKO". ringtv.com. Ring Magazine. 18 January 2015. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
- ^ "BoxRec - event".