Undefeated heavyweight to fight former champion at Fantasy Springs
Undefeated heavyweight Deontay Wilder will defend hisWorld Boxing Council Continental Americas title against former World BoxingOrganization champion Sergei “White Wolf” Liakhovich in the scheduled 10-round main event of a 10-bout card at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casinotonight.
The 27-year-old Wilder is 28-0 with 28 knockouts, including knocking outAudley Harrison, the 2000 Olympic super heavyweight gold medalist, 70 secondsinto his most recent fight.
Liakhovich is 25-5 with 16 knockouts, but the native of Belarus who nowlives in Scottsdale, Ariz., has been knocked out in both of his last twofights.
“The jury is still out, of course, on Wilder, who is taking at least ababy step up by fighting a former world champion,” said Steve Farhood, whowill be an analyst on Showtime’s telecast of the fight.
Wilder’s trainer, Mark Breland, calls tonight’s fight “another steppingstone,” but “there’s no way we take Liakhovich lightly.”
“There are still little things he can do that Deontay’s never seen,”said Breland, a 1984 Olympic gold medalist and two-time World BoxingAssociation welterweight champion.
Wilder, of Tuscaloosa, Ala., didn’t begin to box until he was 21 yearsold, but won a bronze medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Wilder is ranked sixth by the WBA. He has not had a fight go past fourrounds as a professional.
“Two great things about Deontay are his willingness to learn and hiswork ethic,” Breland said. “He knows he’s still learning and has the rightattitude.”
Liakhovich won the fringe WBO title with a 12-round decision over LamonBrewster on April 1, 2006 and lost it in his next fight on a 12th-roundtechnical knockout by Shannon Briggs on Nov. 4, 2006.
In the scheduled 10-round co-main event, Francisco “El Bandito” Vargasof Los Angeles (16-0-1, 13 KOs) will fight Brandon “The Untouchable ”Bennett (16-0, 7 KOs) for the vacant North American Boxing Federation and WBOIntercontinental junior lightweight titles.
Three-time world champion “Sugar” Shane Mosley will meet fans, signautographs and pose for pictures from 6-7 p.m. inside the Fantasy SpringsSpecial Events Center.
Doors will open at 5 p.m., with the first fight beginning at 5:15 p.m.The main event, co-main event and a 10-round junior middleweight bout betweenJermall “The Hitman” Charlo of Houston (14-0, 10 KOs) and Antwone Smith (23-4-1, 12 KOs) of Miami will be televised on a delayed basis by Showtime beginningat 10 p.m.
