"All Access" show on heavyweight boxer Deontay Wilder raises questions about his hand injury

From baseball to football, Americans are often criticized for excelling only at those sports they invented. The most glaring exception to this notion is the sport of boxing, which is based off rules popularized by Scotland’s Marquess of Queensberry in 1867.

That is partly why, as an American fight fan, it means so much to have Alabama's Deontay Wilder bring the WBC Heavyweight Championship belt back to the United States, as it signifies a feat of national accomplishment in the sport's oldest and most prestigious division.

On Saturday, Wilder puts his belt on the line against Texas' Éric Molina (23-2), who comes into this match with a three-fight knockout streak. In the lead-up to this bout -- the first championship fight in the history of Alabama -- Showtime's latest episode of its "All Access" behind-the-scenes show focused heavily on rising star Wilder, and gave some interesting insights to the viewer.

The short film mostly looks at Wilder’s title-winning performance against Bermane Stiverne. With a record of 33-0 (32 KO's), the 6-7, 220-pound Wilder has all the tools to have a long reign as a heavyweight champion, as the show clearly illustrates.

However, the piece also mentions in passing (at about the 17:45 mark) that during the Stiverne fight, Wilder bent steel plates that had been previously inserted into his surgically repaired right hand -- his power hand.  If true, this might raise questions about Wilder’s long term durability in the sport, especially considering that he is so dependent on his power.

Should he defeat Molina, the 29-year-old Wilder will likely face mandatory challenger Alexander Povetkin (29-1, 21 KO's), who in his last fight knocked out Mike Perez.  Assuming he wins that bout, we can then hope for the fight everyone wants to see: the USA’s "Bronze Bomber" in the ring against veteran star and heavyweight champion, Wladimir Klitschko.

By Joseph Hammond
Contributing Writer for TheDailySportsHerald.com