Deontay Wilder Sustains Hand Injury During Split Decision Victory Over Derek Chisora
Former world heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder emerged victorious against Derek Chisora at London's O2 Arena on Saturday night, but not without significant physical cost. The American boxer secured his 50th professional win via split decision with scores of 115–111, 115–113, and 115–112, yet revealed afterwards that he likely suffered a broken hand during the intense twelve-round contest.
A Hard-Fought Battle With Lasting Consequences
The forty-year-old Wilder knocked down his forty-two-year-old British opponent in the eighth round but failed to secure what would have been his 44th career knockout. Instead, the bout went the distance, marking only the second time in Wilder's professional career that he has won on points. This victory ended Chisora's three-fight winning streak that dated back to 2022, prompting the two-time world heavyweight title challenger to announce his retirement from the sport.
"I think I may have broken my hand or maybe have a small fracture in it," Wilder stated in the post-fight interview. "I'm able to move it. I've broken it so many times; I know what it feels like and what it looks like. It may be just swollen, but it may have a smaller fracture. When I get back home, we'll do X-rays and see how it is."
Controversy Over Gloves and Unexpected Sympathy
The injury controversy extended beyond the fight itself, with Wilder expressing dissatisfaction with the gloves provided for the bout. At the final face-off, he revealed: "I've broken my hands so many times and I wasn't happy with the gloves that were provided. We had an issue with the glove being too tight on my hand." Chisora countered that he refused Wilder's request to use custom gloves because they weren't board-approved.
Perhaps more surprisingly, Wilder claimed he deliberately restrained himself from pursuing a knockout victory in the latter stages of the fight. "I held back a couple of times because I started thinking about him being with his children," Wilder explained. "When I saw veins coming out of his temple, I started thinking that this is a dangerous sport. I felt a little sympathy for him. I was even talking to him, like, 'Derek, come on, bro, we need to stop this, man.'"
Differing Perspectives on the Injury
Chisora offered his own assessment of Wilder's condition, asserting: "I know I broke two things, his hand and his rib, because right now he can't talk or stand right now." This claim added another layer to the post-fight narrative surrounding the physical toll exacted during their dramatic encounter.
Wilder elaborated on his long-standing hand issues, noting: "This is why I had a specific glove that I designed and I made. There were a lot of different situations with the gloves and stuff because I've been in this situation. This is my 50th fight. I've broken this hand so many different times and still have to fight inside of the ring, and nobody understands what it feels like to risk your life and then when you're disabled in certain areas, to still have to carry on with the fight."
Despite the injury, Wilder expressed his intention to continue fighting, though he acknowledged that the hand issue would likely delay his return to the ring. The bout marked a significant moment for both fighters—a career milestone victory for Wilder and a retirement-inducing defeat for Chisora—all while raising questions about fighter safety, equipment regulations, and the psychological dynamics between opponents in the brutal world of heavyweight boxing.
