Heavyweight champ Deontay Wilder needs hand surgery, likely out rest of '16
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Deontay Wilder successfully defended his WBC heavyweight title Saturday, but it's going to be a while before he's seen in the ring again.
The 30-year-old scored an eighth-round stoppage of Chris Arreola in the FOX-televised main event, but he barely threw the right hand after knocking his foe down in Round 4.
That's because Wilder suffered injuries to his right hand and biceps. Dr. David Williams of the Alabama Athletic Commission diagnosed a broken right hand and probable distal biceps tear in the locker room.
Wilder (37-0, 36 KOs) spent the night at UAB Hospital and underwent tests until the early morning hours. His hand will require surgery, trainer/co-manager Jay Deas told Paste BN Sports. Wilder is likely sidelined for the remainder of 2016, but if he returns this year, it would be toward the end of the campaign.
Wilder was in a great deal of pain when he walked over to the ringside media table following the lopsided victory and said a bone was sticking out of his hand.
He also showed his biceps which was badly bruised. The 2008 Olympic bronze medalist experienced great difficulty when trying to put his shirt on after the bout.
This isn't the first time Wilder has had trouble with the right hand, one of boxing's most dangerous weapons. The Tuscaloosa, Ala., native had two pins inserted into the hand in 2009. Wilder broke the hand again in January 2015, a title-winning effort over Bermane Stiverne.
He kept Arreola at bay over the second half of the fight with his educated jab and left hook. Arreola likely wouldn't have made it out of the fourth round, but there were only a few seconds remaining after the knockdown. A furious flurry from Wilder (when he likely damaged his hand/biceps) forced the 35-year-old to grab the ropes to survive.
"If I have one hand or two hands, you can't deny that I'm the best in the world," said Wilder said during his post-fight interview. "I'm going to still give it to you whether I have one hand or two hands. I won't stop. As a champion it's my duty to keep going no matter what I'm going through. Pain ain't nothing to me. I got a high tolerance on pain."
Wilder has since defended the title four times, all by knockout. He was slated to face former champion Alexander Povetkin on May 21 in the toughest task of his career, but the Russian tested positive for the performance-enhancing substance Meldonium.
Povetkin was the WBC's No. 1 contender and could maintain his mandatory status pending an investigation of the doping test.
Wilder has pined for title unification fights with fellow Brits Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
Those plans are in flux for the immediate future, though, with Wilder likely out for a significant amount of time.