WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder and his entourage reportedly started a hotel scuffle hours after Wilder’s KO win in the PBC on FOX main event.
WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder (38-0, 37 KOs) didn’t have the most impressive of showings in last Saturday’s PBC on FOX main event against late-notice replacement Gerald Washington (18-1-1, 12 KOs), but he did defend his belt with a fifth-round TKO against the former USC football player. These final two punches were something to behold as far as an elite heavyweight’s technical skills.
If you told someone who doesn’t follow the sport that this is the heavyweight champ they would laugh at you. pic.twitter.com/H20dn4yqKR
— Babs (@Babs_SP) February 26, 2017
The opening bout of the broadcast saw recent IBF heavyweight title challenger Dominic Breazeale (18-1, 16 KOs) engage in a thrilling, back-and-forth brawl with Izu Ugonoh. Breazeale also prevailed by fifth-round TKO in a bout in which both men suffered knockdowns. Little did we know that Breazeale and Wilder would end up in a skirmish after the night was over.
On Sunday, Breazeale released a statement on Twitter alleging that he and his team were attacked by Wilder and his entourage in the lobby of the Westin hotel in Birmingham, Alabama. He also claimed that he and his coach were victims of sucker punches during the brawl.
— Dominic Breazeale (@TroubleBoxing) February 26, 2017
TMZ acquired (incredibly tame, unexciting) footage of the incident, which you can see at the top of the page. According to the article, “Cops reportedly broke up the fight after it spilled into the hotel parking lot,” and neither fighter was arrested.
Dominic’s wife, Christina Breazeale, described to UCN’s Steve Kim how traumatized her kids were during the incident.
“The sergeant told us that a punch is a misdemeanor and they don’t arrest anyone for that,” she explained. “I said, ‘This is far worse than a punch; this was an attack by a large group of people,’ and he said, ‘Well, we can’t do anything about that.’ I was shocked; my children were still screaming, crying and this is the worst part: While he was in my husband’s face, I was begging him, ‘Please stop; my kids are here.’ My kids are standing there screaming and (Wilder) looked at me and said, ‘F’ your kids,’ in my face.”
Meanwhile, Breazeale’s trainer, Manny Robles said he was clipped by a Wilder “sucker punch,” which was something alleged by Dominic in his Twitter statement.
“I got clipped,” said Robles. “I got punched in the chin. I’ve never seen anything like this in my entire life, not from a world champion. You’re representing the WBC, man. You’re the heavyweight champion of the world.” Robles says Wilder landed a “sucker-punch” on his fighter in the hotel. “It was a big overhand right. It caught (Breazeale) right on the back of the head and he just went down.”
Wilder has remained silent on social media since Saturday’s scuffle, so we don’t know his side of the story.
Wilder released this lengthy statement on his Instagram page (via Yahoo), which included denials that he ever punched anyone, and that he ever said anything about Breazeale’s children.
“First and foremost, it is my honor to be the WBC heavyweight champion of the world and it was a wonderful experience defending my title in my home state of Alabama last night,” Wilder said on Instagram. “Holding this title is a privilege and one that I cherish. I know that this privilege comes with a great responsibility, not just inside the ring but also how I conduct myself outside the ring. I am disappointed that attention has been diverted away from my title defense and my conduct has come into question, it is important that I set the record straight with regards to the incident that took place in the hotel last night with Breazeale. We all know there are two sides to every story and the story the world has been told thus far is wrong. Breazeale confronted my brother in the arena and told him he would kill my entire family. There were many witnesses to this. My brother was the one provoked. I was very upset when I heard about that incident.
“THIS IS MY ONLY BROTHER AND I AM HIS KEEPER. I did want to confront Breazeale, man to man and face to face, but just because we are fighters doesn’t mean we always have to act with violence and my only intention was to speak with him. I’m sure many of you have seen me on many occasions and those that know me knows I don’t travel with a Big Entourage In Fact, I don’t believe in it. I was accused of having a MOP (sic) OF 20 People and that’s just ridiculous. I approached Breazeale in the lobby Alone as my Team stood back and immediately a member of his team grabbed me. My brother was punched, people close to Breazeale yelled cuss words at me, and I lost my cool. My only concern was the safety of my family and my only brother.
“First, I did NOT throw a punch. Second, I did NOT make a comment about Breazeale’s children. Anything else you have heard is a lie because no matter how heated or protective I may be, I’m not the kind of man to go after someone’s kids. I understand how this incident looks given that I am heavyweight champion, but I want to ensure people I did not act in the manner Breazeale has claimed and the videos are clear about that. The statements from his team were untrue and a defamation of my character. I will go to great lengths to prove that.”