diff --git a/packages/abstract-provider/src.ts/index.ts b/packages/abstract-provider/src.ts/index.ts
index c38323cb9..d2fdc7764 100644
--- a/packages/abstract-provider/src.ts/index.ts
+++ b/packages/abstract-provider/src.ts/index.ts
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ export interface TransactionResponse extends Transaction {
 
 export type BlockTag = string | number;
 
-interface _Block {
+export interface _Block {
     hash: string;
     parentHash: string;
     number: number;
@@ -64,6 +64,7 @@ interface _Block {
     timestamp: number;
     nonce: string;
     difficulty: number;
+    _difficulty: BigNumber;
 
     gasLimit: BigNumber;
     gasUsed: BigNumber;
diff --git a/packages/providers/src.ts/formatter.ts b/packages/providers/src.ts/formatter.ts
index d83c7b457..d90ca3397 100644
--- a/packages/providers/src.ts/formatter.ts
+++ b/packages/providers/src.ts/formatter.ts
@@ -295,7 +295,11 @@ export class Formatter {
         if (value.author != null && value.miner == null) {
             value.miner = value.author;
         }
-        return Formatter.check(format, value);
+        // The difficulty may need to come from _difficulty in recursed blocks
+        const difficulty = (value._difficulty != null) ? value._difficulty: value.difficulty;
+        const result = Formatter.check(format, value);
+        result._difficulty = ((difficulty == null) ? null: BigNumber.from(difficulty));
+        return result;
     }
 
     block(value: any): Block {