Frankly, we’ll be surprised if Gerald Washington lasts long in his challenge to heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder when they tangle Feb. 25 at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Ala.
Wilder will be, too.
“Gerald Washington is a big guy I’ve seen fight a few times,” Wilder, of Tuscaloosa, Ala., said this week. “I don’t think he’s ready to fight me, but he thinks he is. We’ll find out on Feb. 25.”
Washington may not ever be ready for prime time. The former backup defensive end at USC is only 34, but he didn’t turn pro until he was 30. In his most recent bout in July, Washington beat up 45-year-old Ray Austin, stopping him in four rounds at Legacy Arena.
Apparently, that was enough to get him this title shot, which will be televised by Fox. Like it or not, here it comes.
But wait. Washington wants to make one thing clear: He’s no joke.
If Wilder thinks he is, he’s in big trouble.
“Deontay has his opinion on if I’m ready, but everyone has tests in life they have to pass,” Washington told reporters Thursday at Pullman’s Gym in Burbank. “I’m ready to test myself against the best.”
Wilder, who is 6-foot-7, mentioned Washington has size at 6-6 and roughly 245 pounds. But Washington (18-0-1, 12 KOs) believes he has more to offer than just power.
“We have more than a puncher’s chance,” Washington said. “We do a lot of different training, drills and mental work to get ready for this fight. Every fight I’ve had has prepared me for this moment.”
John Pullman, Washington’s trainer, believes his fighter will win because he is “the smarter fighter.”
“He knows how to adapt and it’s going to make a big difference in this fight,” Pullman said. “Gerald is going to win this fight. How he wins, I don’t like to say and put any unnecessary pressure on us. All I can say is, he’s going to win.”
Again, we don’t expect to see a raw Washington make much of a fight of it, let alone win. Wilder, 31, has been a pro since 2008, and even though he has yet to take on the very best in the division, he’s still 37-0 with 36 knockouts and 5-0 in title fights.
Big deal, Washington intimated.
“I’m not worried about Deontay’s knockouts,” said Washington, who is from Vallejo. “I’m going to take care of my business. I know what my job is and what my goal is. I’m putting my head down and getting to work.”
Washington seems to want it badly. That’s for sure. He even threw his alma mater into the mix to stress that point.
“My dream would be to fill up the L.A. Coliseum,” he said. “I’d love to fight as a heavyweight world champion there. That building has a lot of history.
“I want to bring my world title belt back to USC and put it there with all of those Heisman trophies. This will make my legacy there.”
First, he needs to win at Legacy Arena. That’s doubtful.
Claressa Shields in historical bout
Claressa Shields, who won gold medals in the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games, will make history March 10 when she becomes the first female prize-fighter to headline a card that will be televised on a premium channel.
Shields will take on Szilvia Szabados of Hungary in the middleweight main event from MGM Grand in Detroit (on Showtime). Shields (1-0) is stoked.
“It is a dream come true to be the first woman to headline a boxing card on premium television,” said Shields, of Flint, Mich. “March 10 will be a historic night for boxing and all of the women who give so much to advance our sport.”
Szabados (15-8, 6 KOs) was equally thrilled.
“Fighters always say their next fight is the most important one of their career, but you get an opportunity like this and it really is,” she said. “This is an unbelievable dream. I am very happy to be receiving this opportunity.
“I know this fight is important for Claressa also, and I don’t really know what will happen in the ring. We both want to win. Claressa has more amateur experience, but I have more experience as a professional.”
Etc.
• Longtime promoter Bob Arum on Thursday made it six 2016 Olympians signed to his Top Rank Inc. roster when he inked Shakur Stevenson of Newark, N.J., to a promotional contract. Stevenson, just 19, won the silver medal at bantamweight in the Rio Games, losing to Cuba’s Robeisy Ramirez in the gold medal bout. He will campaign as a pro at featherweight.
• We’re a week out from the welterweight fight between former world champion Adrien Broner (32-2, 24 KOs) and Adrian Granados (18-4-2, 12 KOs) of Cicero, Ill., at Cintas Center in Broner’s native Cincinnati (on Showtime).
• On March 4, the highly anticipated welterweight title-unification bout between Keith “One Time” Thurman (27-0, 22 KOs) of Clearwater, Fla., and Danny Garcia (33-0, 19 KOs) of Philadelphia will go down at Barclays Center in Brooklyn (on CBS).
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