That’s all for now. Thanks as always for following along with us and here’s the full match report:
Updated
Stiverne threw exactly four punches in tonight’s fight. He landed zero.
Sometimes the punch stats don't tell the whole story. Other times, they do. pic.twitter.com/o8El6gDCRe
— Bryan Armen Graham (@BryanAGraham) November 5, 2017
Wilder to Anthony Joshua: 'I declare war upon you'
“I’ve been waiting on that fight for a long time now,” says Wilder when asked about Anthony Joshua. “I declare war upon you. Do you accept my challenge? ... I’ve been waiting for a long time, I know I’m the champion, I know I’m the best. Are you up for the test?”
Wilder brushes aside the notion of taking a fight with Dillian Whyte before Joshua.
“A king don’t chase the peasants,” he says. “A king takes kings. I want Joshua. If he don’t give me the fight we have other plans … why should I go to England to fight a peasant without the king on the contract? The world want Joshua, the world want wilder, I want Joshua. Joshua come and see me baby. No more dodging, no more dodging, no more excuses … make the date, don’t wait.
“I’m too athletic. I told y’all I’m mobile, I’m hostile, I am the king baby and no heavyweight can compare to me … I’m very confident in what I do and tonight I showed that.”
“No one punches like him, no one has the reach he has, no one has the one-punch power he has,” promoter Lou DiBella says at ringside. “He’s the scariest heavyweight on the planet. He will put Anthony Joshua to sleep the same way he just did Bermane Stiverne.
“He’s Anthony Joshua’s biggest test, he’s Anthony Joshua’s worst nightmare.”
He adds: “Eddie [Hearn] and Anthony Joshua have to know that the biggest challenge for Joshua is the man who looked so spectacular tonight.”
Updated
Jimmy Lennon Jr announces the particulars: a knockout at the 2:59 mark of the first round. Wilder’s sixth defense of the WBC heavyweight title was his most emphatic yet. He’s now 39-0 with 38 KOs and while tonight’s outcome will do little to satisfy those critical of his caliber of opposition, it’s the sort of spectacular exhibition that will no doubt resonate across the pond.
Deontay Wilder wins by first-round knockout!
Round 1
Wilder comes out firing with a stiff left jab. Stiverne is fighting off the back foot looking to counter punch. Jab, jab, jab. Wilder scoring sproadically with it. Now Stiverne is coming forward a bit and Wilder is opening up. He lands a combination upstairs but Stiverne takes it well. Wilder showing great hand speed early. And now he’s dropped Stiverne with a left-right combination! Stiverne makes it to his feet but he’s dropped quickly for a second time with another combination. Not much time left in the round ... but enough for Wilder to overwhelm Stiverne with another combination and drop him for a third time. Stiverne clearly been separated from his senses and and the referee has wisely waved it off! It’s a first-round TKO for Deontay Wilder!
Just like that. @BronzeBomber KOs Stiverne in the 1st. #WilderStiverne2 pic.twitter.com/r6PY4Mxx47
— SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) November 5, 2017
Updated
The classy Jimmy Lennon Jr makes the introductions, referee Arthur Mercante Jr is giving his final instructions and the seconds are out. We’ll pick it up with round-by-round coverage from here.
After a bit of a delay, the fighters are making their entrances. First it’s Stiverne, accompanied by an anonymous SoundCloud rapper. Someone forgot to do a soundcheck, too. Now it’s Wilder, escorted by 50 Cent performing Many Men (Wish Death):
I put a hole in nigga for fucking with me
My back on the wall, now you gon’ see
Better watch how you talk, when you talk about me
‘Cause I’ll come and take your life away
Ominous, that.
Organizers say the official attendance for tonight’s event is 10,924. Feels a bit optimistic, but we’ll accept the premise. The entire mezzanine of the Barclays Center has been covered up, creating a mostly packed atmosphere in the lower bowl.
Shawn Porter has just finished off a lopsided but crowd-pleasing unanimous-decision win over Adrian Granados. All three judges handed down scores of 117-111, as did the Guardian. A one-sided affair but a hell of a fight, really.
“He gave me a little trouble here and there,” said Porter, who improved to 28-2-1 with 17 KOs. “I hurt my left hand in the sixth round, but I kept using it. I had to use my jab. It took a toll on me and by the 10th round I just couldn’t throw it anymore.
“The strategy was to keep working the jab. I knew he’d come at me periodically. I was prepared and dug deep to get the win.
“We’re gonna rest for about a week and then get back to work. We want Keith Thurman as soon as possible.”
Said Granados: “I thought that I was controlling the fight and keeping up with him the whole time. He was just trying to use his normal tricks. I rocked him multiple times and he never had me in any trouble. ... He’s a brute. I thought the referee did a good job breaking up the fight at the right times. It was rough but I definitely thought I did better than the scorecards said.”
That’s it for the undercard. Wilder and Stiverne will make their ringwalks shortly.
.@ShowtimeShawnP defeats @ELTigreAG via unanimous decision. #PorterGranados pic.twitter.com/Ajb5P8Shum
— SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) November 5, 2017
Updated
Shawn Porter and Adrian Granados are halfway through the scheduled 12 rounds of their welterweight scrap. It’s been a wildly entertaining affair so far with a steady stream of two-way action, but Porter is clearly getting the better of the exchanges and is ahead six rounds to none on my card.
Those waiting for the main event can expect Wilder and Stiverne to make their ringwalks in the next half hour.
Sergey Lipinets has just outpointed Japan’s Akihiro Kondo for the vacant IBF junior welterweight title. It was an evenly matched, highly entertaining scrap hardly reflected by the official scores of 118-110, 117-111 and 117-117, which prompted a cascade of boos from the crowd of several thousand on hand.
“I think the scorecards were accurate but it was a good fight,” said Lipinets, who improved to 13-0 with 11 KOs. “The head butt really impaired my vision and it led to me walking into some stupid shots. ... I’m happy with my performance. I’m just going to keep getting better from here. I’m ready to take any on challenge thrown my way.”
Said Kondo (29-6-1, 16 KOs): “It was a fair decision. He hit me with a lot of hard punches and I felt like I needed at least a knockdown in the last round.
“I made up my mind that I wasn’t going to show any pain or fear from his punches. I was determined to keep fighting all night. I’m going to go back and get stronger and stronger to get back in the ring. I’m thankful for this opportunity and I congratulate Sergey on a great performance. This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
One more fight before the main event: a 12-round welterweight title between former champion Shawn Porter (27-2-1, 17 KOs) and Adrian Granados (18-5-2, 11 KOs).
Updated
Hello and welcome to Brooklyn for tonight’s heavyweight title rematch between Deontay Wilder and Bermane Stiverne. Wilder (38-0, 37 KOs) is making his sixth defense of the WBC’s version of the heavyweight title, a belt which he captured from Stiverne (25-2-1, 21 KOs) back in January 2015. That was the first real test of the Olympic bronze medalist’s career and he came through, although he was extended the distance for the first and only time to date.
Wilder’s opponent tonight was meant to be rugged contender Luis “King Kong” Ortiz, but Ortiz flunked a drug test and Stiverne stepped in to save the show despite having only one fight in the last three years – a less-than-scintillating points win over the journeyman Derric Rossy in 2015. Which has made most observers not terribly optimistic about the Floridian’s chances and the event itself, though a spectacular performance by Wilder tonight would certainly stoke interest in a unification bout with Anthony Joshua, who defended the IBF and WBA titles last week in Cardiff.
Updated
Bryan will be here shortly. In the meantime, why not look back on Kevin Mitchell’s assessment of the heavyweight division.
