by Cliff Rold

It wasn’t always pretty. The scores that had accumulated didn’t reflect the fight in the ring. Deontay Wilder should have been losing.

In fight sports, none of that has to matter. Football players can’t overcome a two-touchdown deficit on one Hail Mary. Baseball doesn’t have a five-run Grand Slam. Fighters do. It takes one shot, and a toll of ten, to make an average night sensational.

And it takes one wild rival to create a buzz about tomorrow that leaves fans foaming at the mouth to see what’s next. 

Let’s go the report card.

Grades

Pre-Fight: Speed – Wilder A-; Szpilka B/Post: Same

Pre-Fight: Power – Wilder A-; Szpilka B-/Post: A+; B

Pre-Fight: Defense – Wilder B; Szpilka C+/Post: B; B+

Pre-Fight: Intangibles – Wilder B+; Szpilka B/Post: Same

Before the main event, a quick word on the farce that preceded it. While the pick here was Vyachelsav Glazkov, it was noted Charles Martin might have the athleticism to pull off the win. He did. He won the first two rounds and was winning the third by being first and asserting his size. Being too passive, too ordinary, is what has made Glazkov suspect. He rode a wave of questionable decisions to a mandatory he didn’t really earn in the ring. Martin rode a wave of ham and eggers into a ranking that defies credulity.

The fight we got was terrible, both fighters looked subpar, and the IBF got the titlist it deserved. Perhaps Martin will continue to improve. What was seen on Saturday night should concern no one near the top of the class.

Should Wilder concern the likes of Tyson Fury, Wladimir Klitschko, and Luis Ortiz should any of those fights come off? The Szpilka fight spoke to both possible answers.

For most of eight rounds, Wilder looked as amateurish as he has since before he defeated Bermane Stiverne for a WBC belt. Szpilka’s excellent head and foot movement had him missing punches sometimes by feet. The Polish challenger kept foot position on him and, in a relatively low output fight, was outworking him. Szpilka let a lot of chances to let his hands go inside get away, something he’ll regret.

He showed he could buzz Wilder. Wilder showed he could bomb Szpilka out. The end was no surprise given Szpilka’s previous stoppage loss to Bryant Jennings and knockdown trading with Mike Mollo. However, the shot Wilder landed could fell anyone.

Since moving up in competition with the Stiverne fight (and then since finding middle ground between the stiffs he used to fight and someone like Stiverne), Wilder hasn’t been the early knockout machine he was. It raised the question of whether some of his power stats are a little inflated.

Szpilka’s fate reminded that this is a fighter whose power is the sort that can bail him out against anyone. For all the questions of his chin, he keeps responding and recovering when stunned. His stamina reflects a serious work ethic. That right hand means he’s never out of a fight.

Next up, assuming he takes his WBC mandatory and doesn’t pursue an in-house option with Martin, is Alexander Povetkin. It’s a several steps up from his first three defenses. It’s a sizable step up from Stiverne.

Fury and Wilder put on a show for boxing fans after the fight. It’s a fight that will be there even if Wilder can’t get by Povetkin. These two will sell tickets whenever they get to each other. They are an event if they both arrive undefeated, the sort of two-way colorful clash we haven’t seen at heavyweight in ages. 

Povetkin is the sort of fight that can stand as a litmus test to tell us whether Wilder really does belong in the conversation with the best in his class. Wilder still only has one real contender on his resume. He didn’t look good for long tracks against Szpilka. Povetkin has the chops to be declared, fairly, the best big man in the world after Fury and Wladimir Klitschko. It’s an opponent that can help to validate so many of the lingering questions.

As much fun as Fury and Wilder were, there is a very real chance we could be here later this year talking about a possible Klitschko-Povetkin rematch. No one should want that.

There is an opportunity here to earn event status. If Fury beats Klitschko again, his part is done. If Wilder can get by Povetkin, he will have the bona fides to go with the personality.

And then the circus can truly come to town.        

Report Card and Staff Picks 2016: 1-1

Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene, a founding member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America.  He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com