Before winning his WBC heavyweight title against Steverne, Wilder has knocked out all his past opponents in less than four rounds.
Wilder is set to face Arthur Szpilka of Poland on Jan. 16 at the Barclays Center, New York City, New York. At stake in his 36th pro fight is his WBC heavyweight belt.
A known knockout artist and a bronze medalist in the 2008 Olympics, Wilder (35-0-0, 34 KOs) has scored 34 stoppages of his 35 opponents inside four rounds.
The 29-year-old fighter from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, also known as “The Bronze Bomber,” is coming off a TKO win against Johann Duhaupas last Sept. 26 at the Legacy Arena, Birmingham, Alabama.
“I want to get back to my knockout days. My hand was about 85 percent when I defended my title,” said Wilder during the last press briefing. “Now it’s looking back as strong as ever. It’s back to 100 percent. I’m looking to go back to where I used to be — four rounds or under.”
Szpilka (20-1-0, 15 KOs), who hails from Wieliczka, Poland is a southpaw. He stands 6’3″ or 4 inches shorter than Wilder who stands 6’7″ with a reach of 83 inches. Szpilka’s reach is 77 inches.
The Wilder-Szpilka bout looks more like a mismatch as Wilder has a superior physical advantage over Szpilka. But the 26-year-old Polish fighter has an impressive career record with only one loss since going pro, which was against the highly favored Bryant Jennings.
Wilder has been angling a match against either Tyson Fury or Wladimir Klitschko but there is a planned rematch between the two and he will have to wait until probably late this year or early next year to challenge the winner of the rematch.
