Deontay Wilder produced an unbelievable right hand in the ninth round to retain his WBC heavyweight title for the third time at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
The 30 year-old was debatably behind on the scorecards after initially finding the Pole hard to pin down.
But there was no questioning his power as Wilder sent Szpilka to the floor for the first and only time in the fight.
Southpaw Szpilka had used good tactics to stay out of range and put rounds in the bank early on.
Wilder came back into the contest in the mid-rounds and ultimately found the equalizer as the championship rounds loomed.
As the challenger leaned in to potentially get a shot off himself, Wilder measured Szpilka’s jaw with his left hand before unleashing an almighty haymaker to end the encounter in the blink of an eye.
DEONTAY WILDER BLITZ
Prone on the canvas with his eyes firmly shut, the were real worries for Szpilka at ringside until he eventually came round a couple of minutes after being laid out.
He was taken away on a stretcher as a precaution.
As Szpilka was checked over, Wilder kept his celebrations muted before wishing his opponent well when speaking to Jim Gray in the ring.
“Szpilka is definitely in my prayers and I hope he’s doing well,” Wilder stated.
The devastating win sets up a possible unification with new IBF champion Charles Martin for Wilder. That’s if both sides can agree a deal for the summer.
Phil Jay is Editor of WBN. An Auxiliary member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Follow on Twitter @PhilDJay
