One wild night: Two world champion thrones at stake in New York heavyweight spectacle

The path to an undisputed heavyweight champion takes shape when unbeaten American Deontay Wilder faces Poland’s Artur Szpilka and the US’s Charles Martin meets Ukraine’s Vyacheslav Glazkov

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Unbeaten Deontay Wilder meets Artur Szpilka, of Poland, for the WBC heavyweight crown in New York on Saturday. Photo: AP

Published: 12:00pm, 15 Jan 2016Updated: 12:01pm, 15 Jan 2016

Undefeated American Deontay Wilder defends his share of the world heavyweight boxing throne on Saturday while two more unbeatens seek another crown and rival champion Tyson Fury watches at ringside.

The pressure is on Deontay because I just want to be a world champion. He already is. I don't just want to win. I want to win in spectacular fashion

Artur Szpilka

The path to an undisputed heavyweight champion, something not seen since Britain’s Lennox Lewis in 2000, takes shape in New York when Wilder (35-0 with 34 knockouts) faces Poland’s Artur Szpilka (20-1 with 15 knockouts) and US southpaw Charles Martin (22-0 with one drawn and 20 knockouts) meets Ukraine’s Vyacheslav Glazkov (21-0 with 13 knockouts).

“There are four great heavyweights that I'm excited to see,” Lewis said. “The heavyweight division is wide open right now. Now it's time for the guys who were standing by the wayside to show they want to be the next undisputed champion.”

Wilder has 34 knockouts in his 35 wins, while Szpilka has tasted defeat only once. Photo: AP

Wilder makes the third defence of his World Boxing Council crown while Glazkov and Martin meet for the International Boxing Federation title that Britain’s Fury dropped after defeating Wladimir Klitschko for his share of the throne.

READ > Deontay Wilder retains WBC heavyweight title with knockout of Eric Molina

Fury holds the World Boxing Association title and will fight a lucrative rematch with Klitschko rather than having kept the IBF crown to fight its mandatory opponent, Glazkov.

The year could see Saturday’s winners meet in a few months as Fury and Klitschko figure to do, and the winners of those bouts meet in an undisputed showdown late in 2016.

England’s Tyson Fury shocked the world when he defeated Ukraine's Wladimir Klitschko to take the WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO belts. Photo: AP

Wilder hopes to become the first American heavyweight with an undisputed reign since Riddick Bowe in 1992 and join a list that includes legends Muhammad Ali, George Foreman and Mike Tyson.

“Lennox was one of those guys that set the standard. He's a hard act to follow. But I love a challenge,” Wilder said.