One armed Wilder despatches a game Arreola in 8.

Unbeaten WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder (37-0, 36 KOs) retained his title with an eighth round TKO over Chris Arreola (36-5-1, 31 KOs) last night at the Legacy Arena in Birmingham Alabama..   Wilder took charge from the off with the jab, finding the 3 time world title challenger almost at will, Arreola cautiously stalking the Champion..  Wilder did manage to stun Arreola in round 2, yet failed to jump on the opportunity..  Arreola attempted to close the gap in the fourth, but was countered by a wild flurry from the champion who scored the only knockdown of the fight, Chris luckily surviving the round. From round 5 onwards Wilder noticeably opted to use the left hand, cupping the right but rarely letting it go, Chris intelligently began to work the body in the 5th, great work that was overshadowed by Wilders bravado, performing a fake hula motion as Chris chopped at the midsection..  Deontay made great use of the jab in the 6th, Arreola's eye almost shut from repeated left hands from the champion, who was now primarily one handed, yet still in complete control..  Arreola absorbed a huge amount of punishment in the 7th and returned to his corner looking a beaten man, Chris emerged for the eighth but was all at sea, Wilder landing at will as the fleshy challenger looked completely broken, the bout stopped at the conclusion of the round..   A gracious Wilder gave high praise to Arreola who proved once again, albeit at last minute notice, that he is consistently one of the tougher guys in the division.  Wilder acknowledged that his right hand had been broken, possibly from as early as the third round, along with a muscular injury to the same arm, "I did what champions do, I put my injuries aside and took care of business, I beat a tough challenger with one arm."  I couldn't help notice between rounds that Wilder had a raw looking flesh wound around his right elbow, the type of injury that you might associate with an auto incident..  If he's to tangle with the likes of Fury, Joshua or Povetkin like he said he is, wilder needs to be 100% injury free and on his game, I doubt this version of the champion would have been as proficient against a Povetkin on this night..  Arreola was largely pedestrian and made for target practice, yet it took the usually lethal Wilder 8 rounds to close the show..