BIRMINGHAM, AL - Heavyweight world champion Deontay "The Bronze Bomber" Wilder (35-0, 34 KOs) scored another impressive victory ofhis exciting and undefeated career tonight with a hard-fought 11th round TKO over Johann "Reptile" Duhaupas (32-3, 20 KOs) in primetime on Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on NBC. 

Wilder's win, which came at 55 seconds in the round, was registered in front of 8,471 raucous Alabama fans at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama.

 

Wilder was in a tough fight against the durable Duhaupas, who tested the strength and stamina of the highly touted American heavyweight. Wilder controlled the pace of much of the early rounds but had to weather the toughness of his opponent who refused to back away from Wilder's punches. However, in the later rounds of the contest, Wilder listened to his corner and unleashed a series of combinations, including body shots, uppercuts and right hands to overwhelm his opponent and force Ref. Jack Reiss to stop the contest.

 

Wilder competed in the first heavyweight title bout in primetime on NBC since May 20, 1985, when then-undefeated American heavyweight world champion Larry Holmes, defended his title against Carl Williams in Reno, Nevada.

After the loss, Duhaupas stated - "Wilder's a strong puncher but I was also ready to go the distance. I don't think the referee should have stopped the fight. I was defending myself and moving. I don't know why he stopped the fight. Yes I was bleeding but it was not affecting me in any way. I have never been stopped before in a fight and there's a reason for that. It was disappointing he chose to stop it.

 

"I trained hard for this fight but only trained five weeks which for me is not enough time. I was still fighting a good fight and again I don't think the referee should have stopped it."

 

"Wilder is a good fighter. I think he is tough and hit me with some good shots. But I also think he should have more preparation to go to the next level. He can compete with Klitschko and Alexander Povetkin but he needs to train hard and have a strong game plan. I'm okay and will continue my boxing career in Europe."