January 16th, 2016. It was the 9th round of a back and forth fight that was steadily increasing in action. It was a freezing night in Brooklyn but it would heat up very quickly in round 9 at the Barclays Center.
________________________________________________________________________________
Wilder had been controlling the distance for the most part with Szpilka’s attack being limited to mostly straight lefts to the body and lunging left hands.
As the fight went on it was clear that Szpilka would have to take more and more chances to land a meaningful punch to win.
That was exactly the setting for the early “Knock Out of The Year” candidate punch by Deontay Wilder.
Szpilka got into punching range and threw a wide, looping left hook and was met with a perfectly timed short right hand that put him down instantaneously.
The punch was as technically correct as could be as it was completely and fully turned over as it was delivered. Szpilka was out cold before he hit the mat and taken to a local hospital soon after.
The fight was highly entertaining throughout as both men clearly came to fight.
Wilder was able to use his natural advantages of height and reach to fight the fight he wanted to. Spzilka was unable mount any type of serious offense but his heart was on full display, taking some hard shots along the way.
Wilder has greatly improved as a fighter but is clearly still learning on the job. As long he continues to step up his competition and win there is not much you can be critical of.
His next fight is a mandatory bout with the seasoned Russian veteran Alexander Povetkin.
The post The 9th Round: Wilder vs Szpilka appeared first on %%Boxing News and Views/%%.
