By: Sean Crose
Top heavyweight Deontay Wilder has found himself in a bit of trouble. He was arrested Tuesday morning in Los Angeles for possession of a concealed firearm. The former WBC champion was reportedly pulled over for having an obstructed view of his license plate and for having illegally tinted windows. While speaking with Wilder, the police – who reportedly claimed the hard hitting fighter was a total gentleman – smelled pot in the car. Upon searching the vehicle they found the gun and subsequently arrested the colorful former titlist shortly after 1 AM. Wilder was later released on a 35 thousand dollar bond. The vehicle he was driving was a Rolls Royce.
Wilder’s possession of the concealed gun, a nine millimeter automatic, is considered a felony, which means his arrest is no small thing. With that being said, the fighter isn’t known to be a menace outside the ring, so things may not shake out as badly as they could for the man. With that being said, Wilder left the following post on social media after the arrest: “I’d rather be safe than sorry. The end.” It is unclear if or when the 37 year old father of eight will have to appear in court.
Considered to be one of the hardest punchers in all of heavyweight history, the 43-2-1 father of eight was undefeated until he fought Tyson Fury to a draw in 2018, then dropped two in a row to the towering Englishman in 2020 and 2021 respectively (the third match between the two men was an instant classic). Since that time Wilder smashed Robert Helenius in impressive fashion in a bout last October. He has recently been seen as a potential opponent for former titlist Andy Ruiz, and Anthony Joshua, as well as a possible opponent for former UFC champion Francis Ngannou. For the time being, however, his biggest opponent might well be the state of California.
Credit goes to TMZ for breaking this story.