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Deontay Wilder defeats opponent "with one hand..."

Deontay Wilder

Tuscaloosa WBC Boxing Champion Deontay Wilder retained his title with a technical knockout in the eighth round against Chris Arreola. The hometown boxer fought at least half of last night's bout with a broken right hand and a torn right bicep, and still won the match by TKO . Arreloa's corner stopped the fight after the challenger's left eye appeared swollen shut, and he had been knocked down in the fourth round. Wilder visibly winced in pain as trainer Jay Deas removed his right glove during a post-fight interview and applied an ice bag to the boxer's right bicep. Wilder says he broke his right hand during the fight and had a torn muscle in that biceps as well. He threw the right, his biggest weapon, sparingly after the fourth round. It was Wilder's fourth title defense and third in Birmingham, about an hour from his hometown of Tuscaloosa. Arreola took the fight on short notice after Wilder's mandatory defense against Russian Alexander Povetkin was called off in May. Povetkin failed a drug test.

Pat Duggins is news director for Alabama Public Radio.
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