By Michael Rosenthal
October 16, 2022
Source: Yahoo Sports
Photo Source: Boxing Scene
Deontay Wilder needed less than a round to win his first fight since 2019, obliterating Robert Helenius with a single right hand in the finals second of the opening round Saturday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Wilder (43-2-1, 42 KOs) was coming off back-to-back knockout losses to Tyson Fury, the first of which cost him his WBC heavyweight title.
Now, in the wake of just one more spectacular knockout in a career filled with them, he could fight for another world championship in his next fight or two. The opening round had been uneventful, as a trimmed down, quick Wilder moved deftly around the ring to size up the big Finn. The “Bronze Bomber” through a few power shots in the first two-plus minutes but none landed, the same of which can be said of Helenius. Then came the sudden, dramatic ending. Helenius was charging forward and in the process of throwing his own right hand when Wilder beat him to the punch with his own short right to the nose and knocked him out cold.
There was no reason to count. Helenius lay on his back staring blankly into the rafters before finally regaining his senses several minutes later, when he stepped dejectedly through the ropes and toward his dressing room.
The official time of the stoppage was 2:57.
The victory obviously meant a great deal to Wilder, who hadn’t had his hand raised since he stopped Luis Ortiz in seven rounds in November 2019. He became emotional during his post-fight interview before settling into an analytical mode.
“When they fight Deontay Wilder, they’re going to come with their A+++ game,” said Wilder, who has sparred with Helenius. “I knew that from Robert. So I had to take my time, I had to circle around the ring. I wanted to be a mobile, hostile … tonight. I set him up, allowing him to reach. And when he reached, I attacked.
“It was a great fight. Robert, I love you man. I can’t wait to see. And who’s next?” Three-belt champion Oleksandr Usyk has expressed interest in fighting Wilder even though he was expected to face Fury for the undisputed championship. If not Usyk, then former champ Andy Ruiz Jr. has been mentioned as a potential foe. Anthony Joshua is another possibility.
Usyk had indicated that he would attend the fight on Saturday but it’s not clear he was there.
“I’ve been hearing rumors about Usyk but he ain’t in the building … or is he?” Wider said. “Most of the time when guys say they want me and they come to a show of mine and see a devastating knockout like that, they turn the corner on me.
“I’m down for whatever, whether it’s Andy Ruiz or whether it’s Usyk of whoever. Let’s bring it on. Deontay Wilder is back. The excitement in the heavyweight division is back. There’s no heavyweight division without Deontay Wilder. That’s a fact.”
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