AL.COM: Drew Champlin | dchamplin@al.com
Deontay Wilder is still the WBC heavyweight champion of the world.
The Tuscaloosa native knocked Gerald Washington down in the fifth round. The fight was stopped at 1:45 into the round, not long after Washington got up from being knocked down.
The attendance at Legacy Arena was announced as 12,346 - the largest for a heavyweight fight in Alabama.
Wilder hit him with a flurry of punches early, connecting on the knockdown blow with the left but the punch with the right seemed to do the most damage.
"It was a patient fight," Wilder said. "We didn't want to do too much. The punch we knocked him down with the 3-2 (left hook, right hand follow), that's what we were working with in the back. We had that in the camp, but we were really specific about that in the dressing room."
After Washington got up, Wilder came after him with another flurry. Washington couldn't keep his balance or defend himself and the fight was stopped by the referee.