BEFORE his stellar triple-header with Tyson Fury, the last man to stop Deontay Wilder was a boxer by the name of Evgeny Romanov.
Wilder faced off with Romanov back in 2008 when he travelled to Novosibirsk for a Russia vs USA competition.
Romanov won the amateur fight after three decisive rounds in which he had an answer for everything the Bronze Bomber could throw at him.
Fast forward to 2024, and Romanov has both silver 2008 and gold 2009 Russian Championship medals to his name.
The 38-year-old even had an unbeaten record of 19 pro fights with 12 knockouts under his belt.
Reflecting on the Wilder fight 13 years later in an interview with RT, he said: “It was a long time ago. I honestly don’t think much of it.
“Wilder was different then than he is now. I was different too.
“Today’s a different time, Wilder’s at the top and I’m on my way there.
“Back then it was maybe the other way round, so I don’t want to remember or think of it.”
However, Romanov has now been on the receiving end of a knockout for the first time.
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On Saturday night, Romanov took on Chinese fighter Zhaoxin Zhang in a final eliminator to fight for the WBA’s new “super-cruiserweight” belt.
Things appeared to be going to plan for Romanov after knocking Zhang down in the first round.
But in the second round, Zhang came flying out of the blocks and landed a series of punches with decked Romanov onto the canvas.
Romanov desperately tried to get back to his feet but was unable to do so as he was counted out by the referee.
Meanwhile, Wilder has not fared much better recently, losing his last fight against Joseph Parker in December.
The American has put the loss down to a 20-hour plane journey and lack of sparring as his reason for the defeat.
It scuppered plans for a super-fight with Brit Anthony Joshua, who has since announced a showdown with ex-UFC champion Francis Ngannou.
