Deontay Wilder KO’s Chris Arreola in eight despite suspected broken hand and torn bicep
WBC champ wants Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua next, saying: 'I'm one of the baddest, hardest-hitting heavyweights'
DEONTAY WILDER threw the gauntlet down to Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua after retaining his WBC heavyweight title with a technical knockout of Chris Arreola.
The American, 30, dominated Arreola, whose corner stopped the fight after eight rounds in Birmingham, Alabama.
That came despite Wilder suffering a suspected broken hand and torn bicep.
But the defiant champion said: "Of course I want the Furys, of course I want the Joshuas, but the question is, do they want me?"
"My goal is to unify the division. I'm one of the baddest, hardest-hitting heavyweights in the business, so whoever's got those belts, that's who I want."
Wilder extended his undefeated record to 37 wins with 36 knockouts with his fourth title defence, but went to hospital for treatment on his right hand.
American Arreola, 35, only took the fight - his fourth world heavyweight title bout - when Alexander Povetkin failed a drugs test in May.
Wilder said he broke his right hand and tore his right biceps, rendering his right arm useless after the fourth round.
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"It's broke," Wilder said, pointing to his right hand. I also tore my biceps."
Wilder, ahead 80-71, 80-71 and 79-72 on the scorecards when the fight was stopped, showed his arm to ringside media afterwards and his bicep was badly disfigured.
"[The hand injury] was from an [awkward] punch," Wilder explained. "I hurt the hand first, and then the biceps. Look at my hand. This thing hurts."
Said promoter Lou DiBella after Wilder was sent to hospital for an MRI scan:
"It showed me he's a real champion. He was hurt, and I thought he fought well under the circumstances. He tried to entertain, and he tried to hide the injury.
"But when I saw the biceps, I could see it did not look good. And his hand also. It hurt to take off the gloves, and he couldn't even put his shirt on."
But Wilder still managed to dominate Arreola, who took the fight on relatively short notice.
"He just kept me on the outside," Arreola said. "I couldn't figure him out, plain and simple. I have to give him all the respect in the world because he was just a much better fighter."
