Deontay Wilder got knocked out in 2008 for the first time in his career, fourteen years before Tyson Fury did it twice.
World Boxing News was sent rare footage of the only time the former WBC heavyweight champion was KO’d before meeting Fury.
‘The Bronze Bomber,’ who is 43-2-1 as a pro with 42 KOs, suffered a few losses during his amateur days.
One of those came in February 2008 on a trip to Russia. Wilder came up against Evgeny Romanov in the Volgograd native’s home country.
Wilder was tagged with the same overhand right three times in a row but was already on his way down when the final blow landed.
Deontay Wilder knockout out in amateurs
Not seen in the footage obtained by WBN, Wilder did get to his feet. By this point, the third man in the ring overseeing the bout had seen enough.
The contest was waved off. A dazed Wilder then headed to Port-of-Spain to continue preparing for the Beijing Olympics.
After losing once more before arriving at the Games, Wilder reached the semi-finals, losing out to Clemente Russo. In the final, Russo then lost on points to Rakhim Chakhkiev.
Romanov didn’t qualify for the tournament, as Chakhkiev beat him to the Russian spot.
Ironically, just before losing against Romanov in the shock upset stoppage, Wilder had beaten eventual gold medalist Chakhkiev via decision.
Had Wilder got through his semi-final against Russo, the then 22-year-old would have fancied his chances of heading home as Olympic champion. In the end, he settled for Bronze.
Watch: Footage of Deontay Wilder getting starched in the amateurs https://t.co/Cn0Yuh5EAH #DeontayWilder #WilderRomanov pic.twitter.com/LT1oz7t96w
— World Boxing News (@WorldBoxingNews) July 4, 2023
The Gold Bomber
It worked out for Wilder. He may have chosen a different nickname for one had he been successful in China. ‘The Gold Bomber’ doesn’t have quite the same ring to it.
Well into his pro career, Wilder is now at the top of his game and preparing to fight against former unified champion Andy Ruiz Jr. to regain his WBC title.
A win over Ruiz will see Wilder as the mandatory challenger.
Romanov, on the other hand, left the amateurs behind in 2010.
He subsequently took six years out of the sport before returning in 2016 to turn pro. Romanov, 34, has reeled off eighteen wins since then with 12 KOs.
In the ilk of Deontay Wilder himself, Romanov has scored a string of wins inside the distance and may get to meet the Alabama Slammer again if he continues his current form.
