Deontay Wilder captures heavyweight title; says Bermane Stiverne was the perfect opponent

Deontay Wilder defeated Bermane Stiverne on Saturday night to capture the WBC heavyweight championship (Photo: Naoki Fukuda)

By Chris Robinson

On Saturday night, Deontay Wilder captured the WBC heavyweight championship of the world with a 12-round unanimous decision over former champion Bermane Stiverne.

Scores of 120-107, 119-108, and 118-109 were read across the board for Wilder, who improves to 33-0 with 32 knockouts following his biggest victory as a professional.

The Tuscaloosa, Alabama native was in control early and rocked Stiverne near the end of the second. Stiverne fell forward but no knockdown was called.

Stiverne recovered well in the third but Wilder withstood all attempted rallies. Ultimately it was the 29-year old Wilder’s poise precision that helped lead him to victory.

As the fight wore on, it became clear that Wilder was in control as he began to pile up rounds. Stiverne attempted to rally late but it wasn’t enough.

At the post-fight press conference, Wilder paid his respect to Stiverne. Despite a heated lead up to the fight that saw the two men trade barbs with one another, Wilder tipped his hat to his foe as the perfect opponent.

*** Check below for the full post press conference plus other updates from the Stiverne-Wilder fight week in Vegas…