Boxer Deontay Wilder Didn’t Break a Nación ESPN Mascot’s Jaw, Network Says
WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder apologized Sunday after it was widely reported that he broke an ESPN mascot performer’s jaw on live TV. But the 40-0 boxer can rest easy: ESPN says that the performer is just fine.
“Reports are innacurate. No injury was caused to the Mascot performer during the Nación ESPN segment,” an ESPN representative told TheWrap on Sunday.
Earlier this month, Wilder sat down with Nación ESPN’s Adicto al Boxeo to talk about his upcoming title-defending bout against British boxer Tyson Fury. Near the end of the segment, Wilder was invited to take out his impatience to get the fight started on a BOB punching dummy brought out just for the occasion.
Also Read: HBO to Throw in The Towel on Live Boxing Matches After 45 Years
Wilder went to town on the dummy, actually knocking it to the ground and then, egged on by the hosts, he held a joke-sparring match with the network’s colorful sombrero-wearing mascot to determine the “Heavyweight Nación ESPN.”
It went exactly as you’d expect, considering that Wilder has won all but one of his fights by knockout. He punched the mascot in the costume’s face, sending the mascot down on his back pretending to flail about. See for yourself in the clip above.
The whole thing was clearly a gag. The hosts were laughing during the whole thing, they expressly invited Wilder to take the punch, and the very game mascot was protected by a costume featuring a sturdy plastic face attached to a thick cloth body suit. The segment ended cheerfully with no indication that anyone was hurt, and the clip went unnoticed for almost two weeks.
Also Read: WWE Announcer Charly Caruso Joins ESPN to Host 'SportsCenter' on Snapchat
Then, some time last week, a YouTuber uploaded video of the interview with the title “breaking news! deontay wilder breaks a mans jaw on live tv!” This was followed by uploads from other YouTubers with similar titles, some calling the incident a sucker punch.
And so it is that by Saturday, multiple media outlets reported that the mascot’s jaw was broken, prompting Wilder to issue an apology on Instagram.
A post shared by Deontay Wilder (@bronzebomber) on Oct 13, 2018 at 8:25pm PDT
Also Read: PGA Championship Will Air on Both CBS and ESPN Beginning in 2020
That’s a great offer, and despite the fact the reports aren’t true, we hope the mascot performer still gets to attend the Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury fight on Dec. 1.
In the meantime, the performer can at least enjoy being one of the few people to box with Wilder who wasn’t actually knocked out. Good work.
Read original story Boxer Deontay Wilder Didn’t Break a Nación ESPN Mascot’s Jaw, Network Says At TheWrap
