Monday 15 June 2015 19:06, UK
Johnny Nelson says world heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder will take valuable lessons from his workmanlike victory over Eric Molina...
Anthony Joshua is in the same position but back down the line. He hasn't swam into any deep waters, which is where you will learn. There you learn how to handle it, how to paddle your way out trouble.
That is exactly where Wilder is and exactly what he did against Eric Molina.
It was all about levels. It wasn't Deontay Wilder's best performance but he made sure it was enough - and he got the stoppage as well. I just think he will raise his levels when he is in with a better fighter than Molina.
Yes, there were one or two little chinks in his armour and there were one or two signs of his inexperience - even in his 33rd fight.
Look down his record and maybe Bermane Stiverne and Molina are the only guys he's faced that have been around in that top tier.
Molina was smart enough, even when he was under pressure, to come back with that sweeping right upper-cut. In the first two rounds, it went whizzing past but in the end it started to land.
These are the sort of experiences he will learn from. When he is in with experienced fighters, there will be good and bad times but that is what he needs.
That is the sort of thing Wilder needs to look out for and these are the sort of experiences he will learn from. When he is in with experienced fighters, there will be good and bad times but that is what he needs.
Stiverne was the world champion so he upped his level against him when he had to. I am not sure Molina gave him that edge that you need to bring the best out of you. He did look a little nervous but seemed more concerned about impressing the Alabama crowd.
The hardest thing in boxing is not becoming a world champion, it is staying a world champion. Once you've reached that pinnacle you need to create a new hunger to stay up there, because so many times we have seen someone win the title, make that first defence, struggle in the second then by the third, it's all over.
Wilder will have to create that hunger and then he will box better.
I like his athleticism, I like his rugged approach, his unpredictability and, of course, that vulnerability we saw early on. Wilder is a confident man and put all that together and you have a heavyweight who is there to entertain.
Yes, the likes of David Price will have been sitting there licking their lips watching it. You can understand why no one has really gone chasing Wladimir Klitschko but even the quiet ones will fancy it against Wilder.
