Deonay Walker remained undefeated with his 31st straight knockout, beating Malik Scott in their first round in their heavyweight fight in Bayomon, Puerto Rico Saturday night.
Wilder, 28, landed with a solid left and followed with a quick right that sent Scott, 33, falling to the mat 1:36 after the opening bell. Scott made a move to get up from his knees, but referee Roberto Ramirez Jr. counted him out.
Much of the crowd of 10,100 at Ruben Rodriguez Coliseum was behind Wilder, but many seemed unconvinced after the match was replayed on the big screen.
“I spoke to Malik Scott and he said it was my left hook that did it,” Wilder said after the fight.
“He’ll do great things, though,” added Wilder.
The quick win put the Wilder, who stands at 6’7″, in position for a WBC heavyweight title shot against the winner of the Bermane Stiverne and Chris Arreola fight this year.
Wilder, a native of Tuscaloosa, Ala., did not start fighting until he was 21 years old, and is the last American boxer to win a medal in the Olympics. He took the bronze in 2008 in Beijing.
View a replay of the fight below.
Image via Wikimedia Commons
