Deontay Wilder and Gavin McDonnell threw up plenty to learn from either side of the Atlantic
Sunday 26 February 2017 14:14, UK
What did we learn from Deontay Wilder's win in Alabama, and Gavin McDonnell's defeat in Hull?
Did Wilder impress you?
On one hand, he looked rusty and reckless. But on the other hand? His other hand is the vicious right, surgically-repaired but as dangerous as ever.
WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder found Saturday night's challenger, Gerald Washington, to be no pushover. The previously unbeaten Washington matched Wilder athletically and surely won his fair share of the first four rounds. Then, bang.
Wilder doesn't have to be the perfect boxer when he possesses the natural equaliser that is his right fist. It is a weapon that can't be taught, nor measured. Anthony Joshua, on the other side of the Atlantic, understands the importance of owning such a damaging punch.
The difference is that Joshua's KO blow has always been delivered when controlling the action, whereas we have now seen Wilder finish an opponent abruptly when enduring a difficult fight. How do you contextualise that?
Wilder's ability to knock out an unbeaten challenger, having lost some early rounds, is impressive but you might argue that he shouldn't be losing on the scorecards against opponents of Washington's ilk. The debate about his fantasy match-up with Joshua continues.
No shame in defeat
As his trainer Dave Coldwell rightly pointed out afterwards, it would have been far-fetched to have predicted a year ago that Gavin McDonnell would contest a world title anytime soon. His rise up the professional ranks has been old-fashioned, owing to hard, ugly graft, so his first defeat is no disaster.
McDonnell has no amateur experience worth mentioning, and largely opted to enter the ring on the basis of his twin Jamie's success. He fell short of making history by joining Jamie as a world champion, a harsh reminder that fairytales are extremely rare at the sharp end of sport.
But there remains much to admire about the Yorkshireman's efforts on Saturday night against Rey Vargas. He couldn't match his opponent's hand speed nor his punch variety, so it was a stellar effort to continue marching forwards and applying pressure until the final bell. McDonnell once thought he'd floored Vargas but the referee over-ruled him. It was that kind of a night.
In just his 19th pro fight, it was a remarkable achievement for McDonnell to be boxing for the WBC super-bantamweight title at all. We don't know whether he'll ever ascend the mountain and echo Jamie's world title, but it won't be for a lack of effort, and that is admirable.
Another classy visitor
Vargas, the Mexican who ruined McDonnell's dream, is more evidence that Britain's top fighters are often being fed world-class opposition. There may be examples to the contrary, but Vargas is not alone in coming to Britain without a name or a reputation, and leaving with both.
Vargas vs McDonnell had echoes of Charlie Edwards' failed attempt to become a world champion against John Riel Casemiro, who proved himself too savvy and heavy-handed. Casemiro, of the Philippines, arrived with three losses on a 25-fight record but left Britain having ended the perfect run of one of our young prospects.
And who could forget Jorge Linares last year against Anthony Crolla - he had visited once before to beat Kevin Mitchell so the warning signs were there, but he represents another Hispanic fighter that dished out a classy lesson on British soil.
Will Bellew be affected?
The elephant in the room was immediately addressed by Coldwell, the trainer of McDonnell. In a few weeks, two of his fighters have come up short with a third ready to strap his gloves for next week's action.
David Price and McDonnell were both humbled, and Tony Bellew will be the third fighter of Coldwell's to box when he opposes David Haye next Saturday, live on Sky Sports Box Office.
Some may question whether Bellew will be affected, in the days leading up to his own fight, by the atmosphere in Coldwell's gym that is dealing with two consecutive losses. Coldwell, speaking after McDonnell vs Vargas, quickly reminded us that boxers aren't like the rest of us.
Will David Haye be thinking about Carl Frampton?
"Will David Haye be thinking about Carl Frampton?" Coldwell's question was fair, since Haye's stable-mate suffered his first defeat recently too.
The single-mindedness of fighters is their great strength, and a natural ally. Nobody else will matter for Bellew during the minutes that he shares a ring with Haye, least of all two gym-mates, and such a mind-set is the reason why he is a world champion and a dangerous threat to his opponent next week.
