Just days after being added to the James DeGale v Chris Eubank Jr. UK Pay-Per-View, Marsellos Wilder suffered a shocking first career defeat.
Fighting on the undercard of Keith Thurman’s return in New York, Wilder was supposed to tick over ahead of February 23rd.
But the younger brother of WBC heavyweight champion Deontay was halted in brutal fashion by 6-12 journeyman William Deets.
Prior to the contest, 33 year-old Deets had just two stoppage wins to his name in 18 bouts.
Wilder’s appearance at The O2 in London has now come into question. Although all will depend on the length of suspension handed down for the knockout.
All fighters are ruled out for a certain number of days after losing in any fashion prior to the final bell.
Marsellos Wilder
Marsellos was looking forward to following in the British footsteps of Deontay, who stopped Olympic Champion Audley Harrison inside a round in Sheffield in April 2013.
By having his first fight in the UK, he was hoping to builds towards joining his older sibling in becoming a World Champion. Deontay was set to accompany Marsellos on his first excursion to the UK.
When the announcement was made by ITV Box Office, Wilder expressed his excitement at the time.
He said: “I feel super duper blessed. I’m grateful to get this ultimate experience to be able to go to another country. I can showcase my talents to another culture.
“’I’m going to give it my all and give it my best for the fans in the UK and represent the U.S.”
“It’s going to be great to have my brother who is the Heavyweight Champion of the World to be able to watch me perform in the UK.
“It brings me a lot of motivation. Pride to be able to perform in the UK and represent our last name. That’s amazing.”
DEONTAY
Deontay also made a statement when his brother was pencilled in to appear on the IBO super-middleweight title bout card.
“I think it’s a grand deal for him to be able to display his talent before the UK fans. Boxing is very popular there.
“It’s going to be fun to be able to root him on. It’s going to be good for him to get that experience outside of the U.S. I’m very excited for him.
“I’m looking forward to coming over there. Being with the fans and to show support for that fact that we’re teamed with ITV and we’ll be doing PBC shows there.”
No official decision is expected on whether Wilder will remain on the bill until early next week.
Wilder, 29, is now 3-1 in the pro ranks.
