Deontay Wilder Fears His Power Might Kill Someone in The Ring
World Boxing Council heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder fears that he might seriously injure or kill an opponent in the ring. Photo by Ryan Hafey/PBC.
Wilder feels that his power is getting more dangerous with each passing fight.
On Saturday night at the Legacy Arena in Alabama, Wilder stopped undefeated challenger Gerald Washington in the fifth round. It was Wilder's first fight after having surgeries to repair a broken right hand and torn right biceps.
The champion started very slow and did next to nothing for the first four rounds, but once he let his hands go in the fifth - Washington was down and then out on his feet.
Wilder (38-0, 37 knockouts) is now looking for a major fight. He doesn't want to waste any time after numerous delays to his ring returns due to injuries and opponents testing positive for banned substances.
The 31-year-old Wilder had to wait some seven months to get back in the ring after the injuries sustained before stopping Chris Arreola last July. He could face a similar wait before his next bout, just under very different circumstances.
The 2008 Olympic bronze medalist has long stated the goal of unifying the title but doesn't see himself continuing in the ring into his boxing dotage.
''I want to unify the division, defend it a couple of times and I'm out of here,'' Wilder said. ''The thought of getting hit in the head by small gloves or even me knocking my guy out or seeing his eyes go back or seeing his legs shake - 2017, I really feel that I'm going to really, seriously injure someone to the point there they're going to have to put a red tag on his toes.
''This is no joke. I really, really feel that way. The more experienced I get, the more dangerous I become.''
