WBN revealed that Deontay Wilder was officially put down on the canvas before Tyson Fury got his hands on the American in 2020.
‘The Bronze Bomber’ was dropped by Harry Sconiers in 2010, way before he became a superstar puncher holding the WBC heavyweight crown.
Upon Fury’s victory and a series of allegations of glove tampering, which the new title-holder was cleared of by the World Boxing Council, WBN went back in time to see what other instances Wilder was able to recover from.
We found one three months before Sconiers, which was not ruled a knockdown against Dustin Nichols. Wilder was seemingly jabbed off balance and put into the ropes but got away with that one at Club Palace in Hattiesburg.
The fight was over within two minutes as Nichols retired on his stool.
Fast forward fourteen weeks, and Sconiers was next up.
Down in the second round, Wilder’s knockdown was counted in the record books. But it didn’t come without controversy.
Those who witnessed in the arena and posted online at the time said that Wilder was down for longer than ten seconds and subsequently saved by the bell.
While footage and links to old clips are now broken or unavailable.
WBN has asked both Fantasy Springs and Golden Boy for evidence of the video. The former replied, stating they didn’t have access. While Golden BoyAt the same time, et to respond.
DEONTAY WILDER BLACK-OUT
Wilder explained what went down after the fight in a radio interview. Judging by what he outlined, there could be some truth in it.
“Early in my career, I got dropped,” Wilder told The Opening Kickoff on WNSP-FM 105.5.
“I got a rabbit punch in the back of the neck. When the punch happened instantly, my neck started to swell. There was a knot back there.
“It was a blackout-type of feeling. By the time I got back up, the ref was in my face, and I was like, “what’s going on?'”
Credit to Wilder for continuing his rampant blitzing of his opponents until finally landing a world title in 2015.
And further kudos for gaining a reputation for excellent recoveries against several opponents.
But until the clip is uncovered, there are sure to be question marks against the Sconiers contest – victory or not.
WBN Editor Phil Jay has over ten years of boxing news experience. Follow WBN on Facebook @officialworldboxingnews, Instagram, and Twitter @worldboxingnews.
