Deontay Wilder retained his WBC heavyweight championship with a devastating knockout of Artur Szpilka in the ninth round on Saturday night at the Barclays Center.
But perhaps the most dramatic point of the evening came after the fight when Wilder’s fellow heavyweight champion, Tyson Fury, crashed the ring to confront his American rival.
“Anytime, any place, anywhere,” Fury cried while getting within inches of Wilder’s face. Wilder replied: “You can run around like a preacher, but I will baptise you!”
Wilder then suggested he was willing to fight fury in Britain. “We all know Fury is just a phony,” he said. “This is just an act. I’m not scared of anybody. We’ll come to your backyard. This is just an act – you’re not a real fighter. I don’t play. This isn’t wrestling. This isn’t the WWE. When you do step in that ring with me I promise you I will baptise you.
“I would love to fight him next, unfortunately. I have other mandatories due. Make the date Tyson, I promise you.”
Earlier, Wilder (36-0) knocked Szpilka out cold and flat on his back with a powerful right hand to the head. Szpilka (20-2) was out for several minutes as medics were called to the ring. He eventually slumped against the turnbuckles as doctors tended to him.
With former heavyweight champions Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis sitting ringside, Wilder recorded his 35th KO and silenced a Polish-flavoured crowd that went wild for Szpilka.
The heavyweights fought a fantastic eight rounds and were closing in on a ninth until Wilder caught the Pole flush with 36 seconds left in the round.
Charles Martin won the vacant IBF world heavyweight championship in an underwhelming bout against injured Vyacheslav Glazkov in the co-main event.
