The 5 Words Deontay Wilder Said to Derek Chisora Before Knocking Him Out The Ring
Deontay Wilder beat Derek Chisora in a wild contest at the O2 Arena on Saturday evening.
Wilder, now 40, went into the bout in London looking to revive his career following four losses from his previous six bouts. Chisora, meanwhile, was back in the ring for his 50th – and potentially final – professional fight.
The two put on a show with a plethora of brutal punches being landed throughout the contest. Despite the power on show and multiple knock-downs, the bout went the distance, and it was ‘The Bronze Bomber’ that emerged victorious as he edged a thrilling split decision victory.
Wilder’s Comment to Chisora Before Knocking Him Down
Despite the brutal scenes in the ring, the two remained respectful toward each other both during and after the fight.
Chisora soaked up a lot of punishment throughout the bout and was sent to the canvas on multiple occasions, including in round eight.
With just under a minute remaining in the round, Wilder threw a punch at his opponent before nearly throwing him out of the ring.
Just before attempting to knock him out, Wilder had some words for Chisora and a video appearing to show what he said to his opponent has now emerged and gone viral on social media. He appeared to say:
“I’m sorry… I love you.”
Wilder Claims He Held Back on Going For Knockout
Speaking after the bout, Wilder, considered one of the hardest punchers in boxing history, said he held back as he saw how much his opponent was suffering. He told DAZN:
“I was telling him in the ring as I started to see his eyes swell and his temple start to buckle a bit. I said, ‘Bro, you’ve got to live for your kids. I don’t want to hurt you too much longer.’
“I started having fun in there because I saw my brother starting to get hurt. That’s what boxing is all about. Too many lives have been lost in this ring. When it’s all over for us, no one gives a damn about us.
“Us fighters have to look after each other. I looked after Derek tonight. I didn’t want to go too hard on him because I saw his temple. The veins started coming out of his head.
“I wanted him to live for his kids. It’s time for us to take care of each other. I have seven of my own.”
He said in another interview, per the Sun: “I held back a couple of times because I started thinking about him being with his children. When I saw veins coming out of his temple, I started thinking about, this is a dangerous sport.
“I felt a little sympathy for him. I even was talking to him, like, ‘Derek, come on, bro. We need to stop this, man. We need to stop this.’ He didn’t say nothing. Then I started saying it again. ‘Come on, Derek.’ Then he said, ‘You hit like a b***h!’”
