Deontay Wilder out for remainder of 2016 with hand, biceps injuries

Deontay Wilder picked up another win on Saturday night with a stoppage of Chris Arreola, but the WBC heavyweight titleholder won’t be fighting for the rest of the year, as he suffered both a broken right hand and a likely right biceps tear, according to ESPN.com.

Wilder (37-0, 36 KO) put Arreola away after the eighth round, when Arreola’s corner stopped what had become a one-sided fight, even with Wilder basically fighting one handed for the last four rounds of the bout.

Promoter Lou DiBella told ESPN that Wilder will need surgery on his hand, which has been surgically repaired before, and he will “likely also require surgery” on the biceps injury.

It’s a big setback for the 30-year-old, who was scheduled for a big fight in Moscow in May against Alexander Povetkin, before Povetkin failed a pre-fight drug test. He took a smaller fight with Arreola to stay busy. It’s also certainly worrisome that he’s had so many problems with his right hand, as that’s the sort of thing that can rob a fighter of their best self, and if it robs Wilder of his right hand power, could really hurt him going forward.