Deontay Wilder knocks out Washington in fifth round to hold on to WBC title and remain undefeated
American springs to life midway through bout after poor start in front of his home fans
Undefeated Deontay Wilder stopped Gerald Washington in the fifth round to retain his World Boxing Council heavyweight world title and set up a potential unification bid.
The 31-year-old champion started poorly in front of hometown fans in Birmingham, Alabama, and was trailing on the scorecards when he sprang to life in the fifth round, knocking Washington down with a right-left combination.
“I said I wasn’t going nowhere. I am still here. We are going to keep the fights coming,” Wilder said.
It was the first fight for Wilder since he broke his right hand and suffered a torn right biceps muscle in an eighth-round stoppage of US veteran Chris Arreola in July.
Wilder, who won the title in 2015 with a unanimous 12-round decision over Canadian Bermane Stiverne, improved to 38-0 with 37 knockouts.
Despite being a fill-in opponent for Wilder, Washington gave the champ trouble in the first few rounds. Washington, who dropped to 18-1 with 12 knockouts, got the call after Wilder’s planned opponent, Poland’s Andrzej Wawrzyk, tested positive for a banned substance.