Deontay Wilder vs. Eric Molina: Winner, Recap and Reaction

It wasn't as easy as most expected, but on the strength of a mammoth right hand in the ninth round, Deontay Wilder defended his WBC heavyweight championship via KO over a game Eric Molina. The win came in front of Wilder's hometown crowd in Birmingham, Alabama on Saturday night.

Showtime Sports was one of the first to acknowledge Wilder's win:

Here's a look at the finish:

While the Tuscaloosa native was clearly ahead on all of the scorecards having dropped Molina four times, he got rocked in the third round by a hard left hook. Wilder's legs wobbled a bit, but he did show sturdiness by quickly recovering.

From that point on, Molina's moments of success were sparing. The first of Wilder's knockdowns came at the close of the fourth round. A stiff left hook in the corner dropped Molina like a ton of bricks. Molina got to his feet pretty quickly, but he was definitely in trouble. Fortunately for him, the shot came at the end of the round.

Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

The next two knockdowns came in the fourth. The bout was nearly stopped as Molina turned his back and ran away after the first punch in the sequence landed. Referee Jack Reiss warned Molina for his actions and allowed the fight to continue.

Molina seemed to regain some momentum after the fifth. Wilder appeared to tire a bit as his output looked to slow considerably. In the ninth round, Wilder ended the bout with the aforementioned right hand that finally stopped a mildly tense evening for the Alabama crowd.

Wilder might have taken a slight step backward with this showing. He proved he could box as well as slug in his victory over Bermane Stiverne that won him the title in January. In this fight—a scrap he was expected to dominate—he looked vulnerable to an unproven contender.

It's possible Wilder took Molina too lightly. During the post-fight interview, he told Showtime's Jim Gray: "I was very surprised he was still there."

Also, Wilder seemed to be pressing and looking for a spectacular finish in front of the Alabama fans. Nonetheless, his status as a potential star in the sport is still in place. It will be interesting to see how he handles his next defense.

Steve Marcus/Getty Images

There's still a few defensive lapses that a more talented opponent might be able to expose. Alexander Povetkin is Wilder's mandatory challenger and he brings the type of experience that could make for an interesting fight.

For now, Wilder is still the United States' best hope for a dominant presence in the sport's glamour division.

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