Jay Deas, the trainer and co-manager of WBC heavyweight world champion Deontay Wilder (40-0, 39 KOs), admits he was worried last Saturday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
During the seventh round of his seventh world title defense, Wilder was in the fight of his life when Cuban challenger Luis Ortiz had him in serious trouble in the final minute of the fight.
Ortiz had been down in the fifth round, but recovered to bring forth his onslaught two rounds later.
Wilder himself was able to weather the storm after getting badly rocked from a counter, but when the seventh round came to a close it appeared to many that the unbeaten champion was on the verge of being upset.
But that didn't happen.
Wilder appeared to stun Ortiz at the end of the ninth. And then came out firing hard in the tenth. After dropping Ortiz hard (28-1, 24 KOs) with a series of punches, Wilder went for the kill with an uppercut that sent Ortiz down for the third time - and the referee waved it off.
The victory, and the ability to stay on his feet in the seventh and overcome some real adversity, has raised Wilder's stock in the eyes of many critics.
"I knew he would respond well. I was worried but I could see he was problem-solving," Wilder's trainer Deas told Sky Sports about the seventh-round onslaught.
"He was grabbing and holding and, when there was space, trying to punch. He was in a hurricane but kept a level of composure and a presence of mind. That was a treacherous minute. Boy, what a tough fight.
"I've seen him in so many competitions and in so many personal situations where it looks bleak, from the outside. But I know Deontay pulls through those moments. He can dig deeper than anybody you will ever meet."