- Boxer Austin Deanda needed extreme measures to beat DeAundre Pettus
- The American middleweight ordered a specific cut in a four-word command
A boxer’s crew turned his corner into an emergency barbershop in a frantic bid to save his fight.
American middleweight Austin Deanda was facing off against DeAundre Pettus in Norfolk, Virginia on Friday night and looking to build on his 15-0 pro record.
But in the third round calamity struck for Deanda when a volley of blows caused his braids to come undone and they blocked his vision.
Desperate times called for desperate measures back in the corner as his three-man tribe of trainers produced the scissors that would become a masterstroke.
But Deanda was insistent on things being done properly and did not want desperation to cramp his style, commanding: ‘Cut it quite even!’
American middleweight Austin Deanda had to have his hair snipped mid-fight after it started blocking his view
His braids had come undone after a flurry of blows but he went on to win after the trim
As one man applied ice to his face, another took the blades to a chunk of hair and issued an alarming warning: ‘I’m a cutman, not a barber!’
And those words proved true as he lopped off a gigantic chunk of the fighter’s locks in one fell swoop, with little regard for style as the clock ticked.
Then, unceremoniously, Deanda’s hair was discarded in a bucket.
Where he was lacking hair, the 21-year-old had a new lease of life as he went on to win the bout against Pettus.
Deanda did not manage to add another knockout to his 10 KOs so far but extended his winning record to 16 fights out of 16.
‘At least man got a free haircut,’ said one fan on social media.
Another critiqued the impromptu barber despite the heroics: ‘He cut off too much’.
As Deanda celebrated he was wearing a black cap, perhaps suggesting he was not overly impressed with his new trim.
Goodbye, old friend: Deanda’s snipped locks had to settle for a place in a bucket after the chop
At least he was able to make an impression on the same night as some bigger names.
He was fighting on the same card as Keyshawn Davis, with the 25-year-old beating who Gustavo Lemos, who missed weight by more than six pounds.
Davis called out lightweight champions Gervonta Davis and Denys Berinchyk.
‘A world title (is what is next). 2025 we got big big plans for everybody in the boxing world. Ay Gervonta, knock knock,’ he said.
