Deontay Wilder punched Bermane Stiverne through the ropes in brutal yet farcical knockout in 2017 rematch

30/05/2024 17:04

Former heavywight world champion Deontay Wilder has a highlight reel full of brutal knockouts.

But his first-round stoppage win over Bermane Stiverne in 2017 stands out for a couple of reasons.

Not only for how vicious it was – with Stiverne left slumped unconscious against the bottom rope – but also for the farcical nature of the fight.

When Wilder first met Stiverne in January 2015, they went the 12-round distance.

It marked the first time a boxer had seen the final bell against the Bronze Bomber, who up until that point, had knocked out his first 32 opponents.

Wilder won on points and picked up the WBC heavyweight title in the process.

After successfully defending the green and gold strap five times against Eric Molina, Johann Duhaupas, Artur Szpilka, Chris Arreola, and Gerald Washington, he was matched up with Stiverne once again.

Their second fight took place at the Barclays Centre in New York in November 2017.

Stiverne had been extremely inactive since their inaugural encounter, having only fought once (a points win against journeyman Derric Rossy) in the interim period.

It was hardly the run of form befitting of a world title challenger.

When he climbed into the ring with Wilder for a second time, the former world champion was a shadow of his former self.

‘B.Ware’ weighed 15lbs heavier on the scales and looked extremely out of shape.

It was clear from the off he was no longer a worthy opponent for Wilder, as he was sent tumbling to the canvas in the opening two minutes after eating a crisp one-two.

When he made his way back to his feet, Stiverne was decked by another big right hand before he was eventually left sprawled across the ropes by a powerful flurry.

The arena fell silent as on-site medical staff rushed to the ring to make sense of the frightening finish, which narrowly missed out on the Ring Magazine’s Knockout of the Year award that year.

Speaking to CBS a year after the destructive KO win, Wilder said: “I was possessed.

“At one point in time in the fight, I watched myself whupping on this man. I was standing on the outside of my body just watching and observing myself beat this man.

“Every move, that wasn’t Deontay. That was the ‘Bronze Bomber,’ for sure, but he was at another level. It’s crazy.”

When clips resurfaced of the brutal knockout ahead of Wilder’s upcoming clash against Zhilei Zhang this weekend, fans branded it as ‘the funniest fight of all time’.

However, Stiverne would beg to differ.