By Ian S Palmer
Undefeated American heavyweight Deontay Wilder will try to make it 30 wins and 30 knockouts in a row on Saturday October 26 when he takes on fellow countryman Nicolai Firtha in a 10-round bout. The fight will be held at Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall in New Jersey as a part of the Bernard Hopkins vs Karo Murat light heavyweight title bout. This contest can be seen on Showtime in the U.S. and on Super Channel north of the border in Canada.
With Wilder carrying a perfect mark of 29-0 with 29 Kos it appears that Firtha has been brought into this bout as some type of sacrificial lamb, especially when you consider his mediocre record of 21-10-8 along with just eight knockouts. Wilder, who’s known as the Bronze Bomber, won a bronze medal for America at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China. The 27-year-old native of Alabama stands 6-foot-7 and weighs about 225 lbs while the 34-year-old Firtha is also pretty big at 6-foot-6 and usually weighs in at about 260 lbs.
Wilder is used to fighting mediocre boxers, so this bout is right up his alley and there’s not really much point to it if he’s serious about taking on and beating the best in the world. Wilder has met some name opponents in his career, but they were all past their prime, such as Audley Harrison, Owen Beck, Damon Reed, Marlon Hayes, and Siarhei Liakhovich. His first 29 contests have lasted an average of just 1.7 rounds and it’s hard to see this one lasting much longer than that. There’s no doubt that Wilder is active enough as this will be his 30th bout since turning pro back in 2008. Firtha has some experience as he’s been fighting as a pro since 2004 and has taken on the likes of Alexander Povetkin and Tyson Fury.
Firtha is quite mobile for a big heavyweight and has decent hand speed as well. He’s on the downside of his career though as he’s lost five of his last 11 bouts and three of his past five. His last win was a six-round majority decision against Robert Hawkins. He was a pretty good amateur back in his day, but has basically been a journeyman or ‘opponent’ as a pro. He doesn’t really have much in the way of power and his chin isn’t the greatest either since he’s been stopped four times. He needs to establish his jab and keep his distance from Wilder, who will be looking to nail him with big right hands.
It would be a good idea to make sure you’ve got everything you need right in front of you when this bout starts because a trip to the fridge could mean you miss it. There’s a good chance it won’t last very long at all as Wilder will drive Firtha to the canvas for a stoppage anywhere between the first and fourth rounds.
