Klitschko Trainer Explanis Wilder-Wladimir Spar

Jonathon Banks refuted claims that Deontay Wilder was knocked out by former unified world heavyweight champion Wladmir Klitschko.

Banks who took over training duties for Klitschko following Emanuel Steward’s passing in 2012, refuted Dillian Whyte’s claim that while the two heavyweight champions were sparring that Klitschko put Wilder’s lights out.

“I’m the one who picked Wilder and all the other sparring partners to come,” Banks said to ThaBoxingVoice and transcribed by Boxing Scene.

“Did Wilder get knocked out cold in sparring by Wladimir? No, that’s the truth it didn’t happen. Did he get dropped? Yes he did.”

“I’ve seen him getting knocked out,” Whyte told Sky Sports in their initial report on the story. “Wladimir knocked him out. It wasn’t no knockdown, he was knocked cold. Properly twitching as well. That’s why they probably didn’t want him to fight Wlad, because Wlad was going to fight him as a pro and Wilder never fancied it the whole time.”

Whyte is currently the interim WBC world heavyweight champion and the mandatory challenger to the title defended on February 22nd when Wilder has his rematch with Tyson Fury inside the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.