It's been over a decade since the United States of America has produced a bona fide star in boxing's heavyweight division, but Deontay Wilder is well on his way to putting an end to that streak.
Since 2001, when the ultra-popular Evander Holyfield held the WBA Heavyweight Championship belt, there have been just six heavyweight champions from the U.S.
None of them had what it takes to become a true star in the sport. Chris Byrd, as slick and quick as he was, never possessed the impressive power of the most popular champions. John Ruiz was more likely to cure someone's insomnia than generate any real buzz.
Champions like Hasim Rahman, Shannon Briggs and Lamon Brewster had reigns that were far too short to ever really create any cache with American boxing fans.
After decades of American stars from Holyfield and Mike Tyson to Muhammad Ali, George Foreman and Joe Frazier all the way back to the likes of Joe Louis and Jack Dempsey, the country hasn't had a heavyweight champion who can popularize the sport in the states.
But that could all change with the rise of Wilder.
The 6'7" 27-year-old has nearly all the tools to become a superstar in the sport. At 6'7" with a reach of 84", he has the look of a champion. Unlike many of America's former prospects who don't have the size to compete with the larger European champions, Wilder has the reach to even the playing field.
He's also the last American heavyweight to win a medal in the Olympics with his 2008 bronze-medal performance.
But perhaps more importantly, Wilder has power. Devastating power. The kind of power that it takes to capture fans' imaginations and put opponents on his highlight reel. The Alabama native is a perfect 29-0 in his career with 29 knockouts.
None of those 29 opponents have made it beyond the fourth round.
This doesn't mean that Wilder is ready to single-handedly save American heavyweight boxing just yet, though.
As is the case with most prospects that have a jaw-dropping streak of knockouts like Wilder, the names that litter his resume would best be described as "underwhelming." Even his most recent opponent, Siarhei Liakhovich, was 2-4 heading in his last six bouts heading into their bout.
Of course, Wilder bulldozed him in just 1:43 seconds as he defended his WBC Continental Americas heavyweight title.
However, the time is nearing when Wilder will need to test himself against the best in the world. When he does that, he should have a strong contingent of fans rooting for him. If he proves to be the real deal against some of the best boxers in the heavyweight division, he will bring about a revival of America's favorite division.
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