Wilder, I’d be happy to fight him, Browne states

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Lucas BrowneAfter having the opportunity to see the questions I asked WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder (34-0, 33 KO’s) at the media tent outside the MGM Grand last Saturday, No. 6 ranked WBC contender Lucas Browne (22-0, 19 KO’s, says he is open to fighting Wilder in his next bout.

Initially, Browne’s manager, Matt Clark, wanted Browne to face the winner of Chagaev-Pianeta to get a shot at the WBA World heavyweight title – he might still prefer that option – but his fighter has other plans.

I mentioned in the interview with the Wilder that Chagaev and Pianeta have already been beaten by Wladimir Klitschko. Given that fact, fighting Wilder would probably benefit Browne’s career more than fighting guys that have already been beaten by the best in the division.

The issue for the 6’4” Browne is that he’s slow. While he does have a tremendous amount of power, he simply hasn’t faced tough opposition at this stage in his career.

For example, Browne fought Chauncy Welliver in his most recent fight in November 2014, who weighed-in at approximately 304 ¼ pounds, stopping him inside the fifth round.

He did beat a previously undefeated Andriy Rudenko three months prior in August of that year, but Rudenko himself was not fighting good opposition, and in fact was beaten in one-sided fashion against another undefeated fighter in Hughie Fury this past February.

Although Wilder hasn’t faced the best opposition either, I believe he has the chance to exploit his advantages in a fight against Browne.

As we saw in the Stiverne fight, Wilder fought smart from the outside, landing with big rights throughout the bout. Browne comes straight forward looking to mix it up with his opponent, which is when Wilder shines.

He has a reach of 83 in., which draws similar comparisons to Hall of Famer Lennox Lewis’s reach of 85 in. Wilder has a piston-like jab that keeps his opponents at bay, especially his straight jab to the body, which takes the air out of his adversaries.

Looking at Browne’s physique, I don’t think he could take sustained punishment to the body.

However, if the Australian manages to get through that long jab and get close enough to tag Wilder to the head, that’s where he could have his moments.

We saw Eric Molina buckle Wilder momentarily in the third round, but he was unable to capitalize.

Browne is going to have to put emphasis on speed in camp because if he fails to follow-up when he tags the “Bronze Bomber” the first time, he’s going to miss his opportunity.

As Molina proved, Wilder has the ability to recover and send you to the canvas whenever he pleases.

Browne spoke via a press release.

“I’m happy to fight Deontay Wilder anywhere in the world,” Browne said. “It’s a fight that would be explosive and that is what fight fans want to see in heavyweight boxing. Wilder said I might be his next opponent. Well, it would be an honor to challenge for the heavyweight championship of the world. We can give the fans what they want to see, an explosive fight!”

Well, it was quite an honor to ask the question to the WBC heavyweight champion that could have just fueled the fire to a potential fight later this year against Lucas Browne.

How do the fans see this one going? Let us know!