Wilder vs Ortiz 2: Evgeny Romanov is last man to KO Bronze Bomber and fans are desperate to see them fight again
ANTHONY JOSHUA. Luis Ortiz. Tyson Fury.
Deontay Wilder, the WBC heavyweight champion of the world, only deals with the best when it comes to boxing.
But there is every chance you will never have heard of the last man to knock him out.
And you have to go back a long way to find him.
Wilder was still a raw amateur when he was rushed into the US Men's boxing team at the 2008 Olympics with less than three years experience under his belt.
Italy's Clemente Russo got the better of him in the August semi-finals then.
But his last stoppage was six months earlier, in another amateur bout in Russia.
The Bronze Bomber had travelled to Novosibirsk for a Russia vs USA fixture, where he met Evgeny Romanov.
Having won silver at the 2008 Russian Championships - he would win gold a year later - Evgeny was considered one of the country's top prospects.
But Wilder - who defends his WBC crown against Ortiz in Las Vegas this weekend - took the first round 4-2 on points.
And that was as close as he got.
Romanov, who stood around seven inches shorter than his opponent, found an answer for everything in the second.
A strong right had Wilder reeling and he was forced to take a standing count while Romanov went 10-7 up on points.
Another huge right softened Wilder up in the third and he was there for the taking when the Russian punished him with another.
The American crashed to the canvas and the ref ended the bout with just under a minute remaining.
But whereas Wilder went pro in 2008, Romanov did not join the paid ranks until 2016.
He is 14-0 with 10 knockouts.
But he is yet to fight outside of Russia.
Still, fans are desperate to see how the two would fare now, 11 years after that fateful night where Wilder went down.
One supporter wrote underneath a video of Romanov downing Wilder: "That was 10 years ago. I'd love to see him fight him today."
latest boxing news
Another posted: "He’s a technician in the ring. Stays in the pocket but that was a long time ago. Wilder has matured and so has he. I would love to see this fight."
A fellow user said: "This Russian guy is better than 98 per cent of Wilder's opponents."
And one put: "I want to see this fight. I think he can do it again."
