DEONTAY WILDER has hailed the fighting skills of Sead Kolasinac after watching him confront armed attackers.
World heavyweight champion Wilder checked out footage of the Arsenal defender leaping out of Mesut Ozil's car to take on knife-wielding moped gang riders - and liked what he saw.
The WBC champ told SunSport: “He’s got a nice bounce to him, he’s in and out.
“Wait until you see him throw a hook. We don’t know what his technique is like, but his footwork… he’s pretty mobile.
“We’re going to have to work on him and make sure he doesn’t load up before because he’s very predictable and that makes him very vulnerable.
“He’s got quick feet, we can work with that.”
Wilder, 33, was as impressed as the rest of the sporting public at the way Gunners ace Kolasinac put himself at danger to thwart the robbers on Thursday.
The ordeal started at defender Kolasinac's house in leafy Childs Hill at around 5pm on Thursday when the gang tried to steal a watch and gain access to Ozil's car.
Dramatic footage shows 26-year-old Kolasinac - nicknamed The Tank - leaping from the £100,000 motor and fighting off the armed attackers with his bare hands.
But after Kolasinac got back in the car, the horror continued as the moped muggers chased the players for a mile down Golders Green Road at high speed.
Even when midfielder Ozil's car came to a halt, the helmet-wearing raiders launched stones and a brick at the 4x4's windows.
A "terrified" Ozil and his wife Amine, who was in the car at the time of the attack, then abandoned the gold-trimmed SUV and fled on foot.
They took refuge in their favourite Turkish restaurant, who the star had called for help during the drama.
Staff immediately rushed to the £350,000-a-week star's aid, piling out on to the street to help chase away the would-be carjackers.
Police rushed to the scene and cops were later spotted questioning the Gunners forward, 30.
Financial worker Azuka Alintah, 36, was out food shopping when he witnessed the end of the horrifying chase.
He told the Mail Online: "It was totally mad and strange.
"Ozil looked absolutely terrified, as anybody would after being chased by men with knives.
"He looked like he was running for his life. And I suppose he was.
"I saw him disappear into the restaurant with the motorcycle guys on his tail.
"They didn’t take off their helmets and were all in black, wearing long sleeved tops in this hot weather. They stood out. It was really creepy.
"God knows what would have happened if they’d caught him.
"It looked to me like he’d have been hacked to shreds and he clearly thought so too."
Yasmin Tahsiner, the joint owner of the Likya restaurant where the stars took refuge, told Sky News the two footballers are regular customers.
She confirmed a panicked Ozil called her business partner during the "10 or 15 minute" chase and told him to call the police.
There have been no arrests and detectives are investigating the brazen attack, Scotland Yard said.
A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police added: "It was reported that suspects on motorbikes had attempted to rob a man who was driving a car.
"The driver, along with his passenger, managed to get away unharmed and travelled to a restaurant in Golders Green, where they were spoken to by officers."
In a now-deleted tweet, Kolasinac posted a picture of the fist bump emoji last night.
Ozil and Kolasinac have been friends since they were teenagers when they played together at German side Schalke 04 and they have grown closer since since the Bosnian under his wing at Arsenal in 2017.
They were pictured together at Kolasinac's marriage to Bella, alongside Ozil's wife Amine Gulse in Baden, Germany.
Arsenal fan Piers Morgan tweeted: "Incredible guts from Sead Kolasinac - looks like he took on the whole moped/knife gang."
Both players have just returned to England following Arsenal's pre-season tour of America.
They each started in Wednesday's 2-2 draw with Real Madrid in Washington DC.
Arsenal went on to lose the International Champions Cup clash 3-2 on penalties.
A spokesperson for Arsenal confirmed the duo were involved in an attempted carjacking.
They added: "We have been in contact with both players and they are fine."
https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/9592401/deontay-wilder-wants-to-sign-up-arsenal-hardman-kolasinac-after-he-saved-mesut-ozil-from-knife-wielding-moped-gang/
Posted: Sat Jul 27, 2019 7:58 am