Former heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder returned to the ring last night. After back to back losses to Tyson Fury, the former champ began his comeback journey. His first step against the top-rated Robert “The Nordic Nightmare” Helenius from Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Wilder stepped into the ring for the first time in just over a year and quickly reminded the world why he’s one of the most feared punchers in boxing history. After a mostly cautious first round, in which Wilder only landed three punches according to CompuBox, Wilder caught a lunging Helenius with a short right hand that has ended the nights of numerous heavyweights over the last decade plus. Referee Mike Griffin quickly halted the action 2:57 into the round.
“I set him up,” Wilder told the press. “I allowed him to reach and when he reached I attacked. It was a great fight. It’s been a good camp for me. We worked to make this fun for me. We work at this so much that it can just become a job. We made it fun again. We put in over 700 rounds and it paid off tonight big time.”
ICYMI and chances are you did because the fight was so short check out the highlights here.