Deontay Wilder has posted an injury bulletin having undergone an operation on the hand injury that could keep him out until 2017.
The WBC world heavyweight champion (37-0-KO36) appeared hampered during Saturday's defence in his hometown of Birmingham, Alabama but was still able to stop challenger Chris Arreola inside nine rounds.
Posting on social media the following day, Wilder said: "I wanted to give an update to all my fans who wonder what is going on with me.
"As you know, I broke my hand and injured my hand real bad to the point where I bent the pins in my hand to a V-shape.
"I dislocated a couple of fingers, too. That's how hard I hit - to bend pins in your hands. My hand is very swollen right now and the pins are sticking out of my flesh a little bit but it'll be alright where I dislocated it.
"When I flex my bicep, you can see when I flex my arm that it's going in because my muscle is torn but I'm in good spirits and I'll be back soon. Stay tuned."
Wilder was full of bravado in the wake of his latest victory, stating in his post-fight interview: "If I have one hand or two hands, you can't deny that I'm the best in the world.
"I'm going to still give it to you whether I have one hand or two hands. I won't stop. As a champion it's my duty to keep going no matter what I'm going through. Pain ain't nothing to me. I got a high tolerance on pain."