Former champion says eye injury left him seeing grey before Stiverne victory
Deontay Wilder says he won his first world title fight with only one functioning eye. The former WBC heavyweight champion revealed he could barely see heading into his 2015 win over Bermane Stiverne.
The former champion shared the detail while speaking to DAZN, reflecting on his 2015 victory over Bermane Stiverne, a fight that remains the only win on his record to go the distance.
“I had a point to prove. I needed the money for my daughter. I promised my daughter I’d be a champion to be able to support her and I wasn’t going to let anything get in the way.
“I even got injured the day before the fight, I busted something in my eye, so I couldn’t see. I could only see grey and black out of this eye, so I only had one eye in that fight but I couldn’t let my opponent know or act different, He doesn’t even know to this day I beat him with one eye. I was doing this for my daughter, for so many reasons, my hunger was in starving mode.”
Wilder won a clear decision that night to claim the WBC title and went on to defend it ten times during his reign.
He later drew with Tyson Fury in 2018 before losing two rematches by knockout. Recent defeats to Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang have added pressure as he looks to extend his career.
Wilder returns to the ring on April 4 against Derek Chisora at The O2 Arena in London. The bout will mark the 50th professional fight for both heavyweights.
He now heads into the Chisora fight looking to rediscover the form that once carried him through a long title run.
Photo credit: Hoganphotos/Golden Boy Promotions
