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New WBC champion Deontay Wilder’s next task is unifying heavyweight titles

Wilder wants to face Tyson Fury and then Wladimir Klitschko before the end of 2015

Deontay Wilder and Bermane Stiverne: MGM Fight Night

L.E. Baskow

Deontay Wilder connects on Bermane Stiverne during their WBC Heavyweight fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday, January 17, 2015.

Stiverne vs. Wilder: MGM Fight Night

Deontay Wilder chats with fans as he celebrates the win over Bermane Stiverne following their WBC Heavyweight fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday, January 17, 2015. Launch slideshow »

On a night where Deontay Wilder won everything he ever dreamed about, he also lost something. The new WBC heavyweight champion is officially down a training partner — his best-ever training partner.

Wladimir Klitschko, who holds every other major heavyweight title, called upon Wilder to help him in a training camp more than two years ago. Wilder obliged without hesitation, joining the younger Klitschko brother in Ukraine ahead of a November 2012 defense against Mariusz Wach.

The only conversation the two will share any time soon is a fight negotiation after Wilder unseated Bermane Stiverne with a unanimous decision (120-107, 119-108, 118-109) to claim his first belt Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

“I think after the performance I put on tonight, of course, that’s going to be the biggest fight in the world,” Wilder said of Klitschko. “When the time comes, we’ll handle it. I’m looking forward to that fight.”

The undefeated 29-year-old from Tuscaloosa, Ala., made history against Stiverne, becoming the first American heavyweight to win a championship since Shannon Briggs in 2006. Now he wants to accomplish a feat even more rare.

Wilder wants to unify all of the division’s championships and reign as the first undisputed heavyweight championship since Lennox Lewis in 2000. He believes that’s the surest route to resurrecting interest in a weight class that used to captivate the country.

The “whooping” Wilder put on Stiverne convinced some who came in skeptical that he just might be the weight class’ next legendary fighter.

“He brings that glamour, that excitement that people can attach themselves to,” said promoter Don King, renowned for heavyweight champion clients such as Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson. “And at the same time, he’s having fun. That’s one of the secrets.”

While Stiverne, King’s fighter, typically staggered back to the stool in his corner with his head down in between rounds Saturday, Wilder stood tall and grinned. He enjoyed every moment of his debut in the spotlight, performing in front of an announced attendance of 8,453 and hundreds of thousands more on Showtime.

That’s because he had hardly any poor ones. Wilder showed no signs of an inability to take a punch, as detractors had accused. Conditioning was another non-factor even with the fight lasting three times as long as any other ones in Wilder’s career.

In his first 32 professional appearances, Wilder knocked out every opponent within four rounds. He almost added Stiverne to the list, clocking the champion with a right hook in the final seconds of the second round.

The shot sent Stiverne to his knees, though referee Tony Weeks didn’t rule it as an official knockdown. It hardly bothered Wilder, who wobbled Stiverne again in the seventh and utilized his four-inch reach advantage with nonstop jabs throughout the bout.

“So many questions were lingering about me,” Wilder said. “Can Deontay do so many things? Can Deontay go rounds? Can Deontay take a punch? I think I proved everything tonight. And not only did I prove it but I proved it in great fashion.”

The victory doesn’t guarantee Wilder a shot against Klitschko, which he understands. The next challenger for Klitschko’s WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO titles is undefeated Bryant Jennings with an April date at Madison Square Garden heavily rumored.

Wilder wants to stay busy in the interim. He described his perfect scenario as a date with Great Britain’s Tyson Fury, another undefeated fighter, in the middle of the year before meeting Klitschko in late 2015.

“There’s nothing like two giants going at it,” Wilder said. “I think that’s going to be a great fight when it happens. I’m not saying, ‘if it happens.’ I’m saying, ‘when it happens.’”

Wilder is confident the 38-year-old Klitschko won’t waste any time because he’s eager for an opportunity at the one belt he’s never held. Wladimir Klitschko’s older brother, Vitali Klitschko, was the WBC champion for more than 10 years before retiring to focus on his political career.

The next year shapes up as massive for boxing fans with the strong possibility of two fights anticipated for years — Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao and a heavyweight unification bout.

Only one of them could feature a matchup between opponents familiar enough to have sparred together.

“Being in camp with those guys and seeing their work ethic and the way they do things just gave me more security about myself,” Wilder said. “It was like, ‘man I’m doing that and I’m not even a champion.’”

Case Keefer can be reached at 948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.

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