By Rick Reeno

Former heavyweight champion Bermane Stiverne (24-2-1, 21KOs) tells BoxingScene.com that he was never hurt at any point in the twelve round decision loss to Deontay Wilder (33-0, 32KOs) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. With the victory, Wilder captured the WBC heavyweight championship.

Following the match, Stiverne was taken to a local hospital for severe dehydration. He spent two days at the facility, where he was diagnosed with Rhabdomyolysis [a breakdown of muscle fibers that leads to the release of muscle fiber contents (myoglobin) into the bloodstream. Myoglobin is harmful to the kidney and often causes kidney damage].

"He never hurt me. I was never hurt in the fight. I would say so [it was more exhaustion]. He caught me with a couple of good jabs, but that was it. But hurt? I wasn't hurt. I didn't get hurt. I was more thirsty through the whole fight. I was just trying to suck down the bottle of water," Stiverne told BoxingScene.com.

While Stiverne says he was never hurt, he was taking a lot of punches. And following the ninth round, Stiverne's trainer Don House was considering the possibility of stopping the fight. Stiverne opted to continue, telling House 'he felt fine' and the fight went to the end.

"The major concern is the welfare of the fight. We can always come back and fight another day. I noticed he was taking punches, but I also know that he's a warrior and he wants to give the fans [a show]. I asked him if he wanted to continue and he said 'yeah, I want to continue. I will get him.' I was a little concerned but I also listened to the fighter too. It didn't get to the point where it was scary. I felt neutral. I said 'if you say you got him then you got him' and I kept an eye on him," House told BoxingScene.com.