Is Deontay Wilder really number one?

Deontay Wilder steps into the ring on February 25th for his 38th professional fight in a career that has been interrupted by 3 broken right hands.

He is hoping to get his second win in quick succession after recently winning a court case against Povetkin who failed a drug test before their last fight, he was awarded around four million pounds by way of compensation for this.

In a week where there has been a lot of debate about opponent cherry picking before Kell Brook announces Errol Spence, it's interesting to see there is not much criticism of Wilders' opponent Gerald Washington.

One of the reasons is perhaps because of the hand injuries and this is an easy test to see if the hand is fully healed. Previous boxers such a Joe Calzaghe and even Floyd Mayweather have suffered with hand injuries over the years and it led to a noticeable difference in their styles, which were adapted to suit career longevity. Perhaps this is harder to demonstrate in the heavyweight division where KO's are the money grabber and also a necessity when your opponent is trying to KO you at all costs. Wilder at 37-0 and 36 by KO may struggle to change his style when he holds such ferocious power in his right hand, and KO'ing opponents comes naturally to him.

There are a lot of comparisons between Wilder and Anthony Joshua, and a meeting between the two seems destined for late 2017 early 2018.

Right now as it stands with Joshua fighting Klitschko, it would seem AJ is the more prominent fighter and slightly ahead in the race to be number one in the division. If Wilder comes through this fight with the relatively unknown Washington, the public would demand a higher calibre of fight for the next one, and some feel a match up with Britain's Dillian Whyte could just be the exposure and warm up to an Anthony Joshua fight.

It's no secret that Jospeh Parker would also be after a unification fight with Wilder, however they may prefer a fight with AJ as it would be more profitable, however Parker has to get through mandatory challenger Hughie Fury before hand.

With cousin Tyson recently announcing a return to the ring, could this be a potential match up soon? Tyson goaded Wilder on Twitter recently telling Wilder he was available to step in as a late replacement before Washington was announced. Fury as serious as he may have been, was surely just keeping himself relevant and Wilder didn't take the bait.

In a division where previous great American heavyweights have dominated such as Mike Tyson, Ali, and also greats such as Holyfield. It would seem the US is still hungry for its next Heavyweight star, is Wilder the man they have been waiting for, or have they pinned their hopes on the wrong guy? After Saturday night we will hopefully know the answer to one question at least, the question of whether "The Bronze Bomber" career threatening injuries have subsided for now.