Deontay Wilder Arrested Early Tuesday

Former WBC Heavyweight Champion Deontay Wilder was taken into custody early Tuesday morning in Southern California on a weapons charge after a traffic stop.

The gossip site TMZ Sports had the information first on Wilder being pulled over by LAPD officers late night Monday for what they say was illegal darkened window tinting and an obstructed license plate on the Rolls Royce that Wilder was driving,

Deontay Wilder Arrested In L.A., Booked On Gun Charge https://t.co/ufuQOXk0dX

— TMZ Sports (@TMZ_Sports) May 2, 2023

Further according to TMZ, after making the routine stop, officers reported smelling Marijuana in the 37 year old Wilder’s vehicle and later found a small amount of the drug in the car. They also found a 9mm handgun and took Wilder into custody at that point. He was charged multiple violations, the most serious being a felony for carrying a concealed weapon. Wilder bonded out of jail according to TMZ just after 6:30 a.m.

The Alabama native Wilder, 43-2-1, 42 KOs made 10 defenses of the WBC heavyweight title from 2015-19. He lost the title in the first of two KO losses to Tyson Fury in February 2020 in Las Vegas. After the Covid 19 pandemic of 2020 and winning an arbitration battle that Fury had to honor their rematch contract, the Englishman beat him again by 11th round KO in October 2021.

Wilder One Punch Comeback

Wilder was last in the ring in October of last year. That’s, when he destroyed Robert Helenius in just over a minute with his trademark, single right hand bomb for another highlight reel KO in his career.

Wilder posted on social media later Tuesday afternoon seemingly in reference to the arrest on the gun possession charge,

I’d rather be safe than sorry. The End 🙏🏿

— Deontay Wilder (@BronzeBomber) May 2, 2023

Wilder had been in negotiations to fight former unified heavyweight champ, American Andy Ruiz last Winter, but that fight never materialized. Both fighters have fought under the Premier Boxing Champions umbrella for years. Wilder was last seen publicly at the Gervonta Davis-Ryan Garcia PPV battle in Las Vegas on April 22.

There has been widespread speculation in the U.K. that Wilder would fight British former WBA/WBO/IBF champ Anthony Joshua late in 2023 likely in Saudi Arabia.