‘I held back a couple of times’: Deontay Wilder admits feeling sympathy in Derek Chisora fight
· Yahoo Sports
Deontay Wilder showed up to the post-fight press conference to discuss his split decision win over Derek Chisora and reflects on the range of emotions he felt in the ring while simultaneously trying to put Chisora to sleep while also not wanting to see his friend get seriously hurt. Wilder says there were even a couple of moments in the fight where he held himself back because he just wanted to see Chisora get back to his family okay. Check out some excerpts of what Wilder had to say below with the full video interview in the link above.
Wilder on facing Chisora in a farewell fight
“Look, the man done fought everybody. As a fighter you can only wish to fight as many credible fighter as he has done so why not be able to retire at this point in time? Even in the ring I was thinking about his retirement. It was times where my team say ‘alright, it’s time to push forward and put a little bit more pressure’ but I held back a couple of times because when I cut his eye open I started thinking about him being with his children. When I saw veins coming out of his temple I started thinking about ‘this is a dangerous sport.’
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“I felt a little sympathy for him, I even was talking to him. I was like ‘Derek, come on bro. We need to stop this, man.’ He didn’t say nothing, then I started saying it again ‘come on, Derek’ and then he said ‘you hit like a b—tch.’”
On telling Chisora he loved him during the fight just before attempting to unload a haymaker
“I did tell him I love him, because I truly do. When I say things to people, I truly mean it. And I think this just brought us even closer. Derek is a wonderful man outside of boxing…It’s just a beautiful moment. I’m happy to be able to share that ring with him.”
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On feeling vindicated after this performance
“Like I said before, many people doubted me, many people counted me out. Many people threw dirt on my name, but you can’t throw dirt on someone who’s chosen. I’m chosen. And each and every time I step into the ring, every time I train I’m getting better and better and better together. I’m truly healed and I’m truly back.”
On the terrible officiating
“It’s crazy. If the ref was fair you’re looking at a third round stoppage. So many things went on. I got hit in the back of the head at least 10 to 12 different times. And then when I finally want to retaliate and hit back you point fingers at me.
“You know how many fighters got hit in the head and don’t wake up tomorrow? That’s why I might not even go to sleep tonight because of the awareness of getting hit in the back of the head and you not waking up tomorrow, or something happening or something forming. I feel good externally but internally something may be developing inside of me that I can’t see right now because a referee decided to allow something to happen that shouldn’t have happened.
“And then it was supposed to be a disqualification because his team ran up in the ring. I mean damn, I’m fighting Derek and the referee. It’s crazy.”
On whether this experience would deter him from fighting Anthony Joshua in the UK
“No, it wouldn’t. I mean, one bad apple doesn’t spoil the show for me. I love coming over here where some of the best fans in the world is…When you get certain referees, you know, it’s a scary thing.
“I just hope and pray that the boxing commission, the people do something about these things. That referee should be able to ref again. That’s just my honest opinion.”