By Vince D’Writer: On Saturday night former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder made his return to the ring and he scored a devastating first round knockout victory against Robert Helenius (31-4, 20 KOs) at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
The last time The Bronze Bomber was in the squared circle he fought Tyson Fury for the third time, and regrettably for Wilder, he was knocked out in the eleventh round. One year later Wilder made his return to the ring to start his journey in regards to becoming a two-time heavyweight champion.
For the trilogy fight, Deontay Wilder stepped into the ring weighing 238 lbs, but for his October 15 bout, Wilder weighed in at only 214 lbs. The cut down in weight reflected his normal fight weight prior to his bouts against Tyson Fury.
After being inactive for nearly twelve months, fight fans and boxing pundits were anxious to see what this version of the former WBC heavyweight champion would look like. As the bell rung to start the opening round, Wilder came out on his toes, circling around the ring, and pumping his jab, while Helenius accepted the role of the aggressor.
Helenius was pressing forward trying to establish his jab, and he was making multiple attempts to land the right hand. Midway through round one, Wilder charged forward to throw a jab and a big looping right hand, but unfortunately for Wilder, the right hand missed the target. As the round was winding down, Helenius continued to press forward, and he got countered by a signature Deontay Wilder right hand that sent him down to the floor.
Helenius laid helplessly on the canvas as the referee didn’t see the need to attempt to count him out.
For Wilder, the comeback was complete and he celebrated a boxing victory for the first time in nearly three years. He didn’t show up, but it was advertised that WBA, WBO, IBF heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk would be in attendance for Wilder’s fight, and during the post fight press conference, Wilder addressed Usyk’s promise, and the difficulty of securing a potential title fight.
“I think it’s going to be very difficult. I’ll be very surprised if he sticks to his word.” Wilder went on to state, “The last champion that came to a fight that said he would give me a fight he went the other way after a devastating knockout. We’re talking about Joseph Parker. We’ll see what happens. I’m going to keep Usyk to his word. We will be calling his team, and whoever his handler is, and we’ll see what’s up.”
Deontay Wilder (43-2, 42 KOs) is one of the most devastating knockout artist in boxing history. In less than a week, The Bronze Bomber will turn 37-years-old, and now is the time to pursue a fight with Usyk. Can Oleksandr Usyk outbox Wilder for twelve rounds? Can Usyk survive a Wilder right hand? Only one way to find out. Hopefully the people who represent both boxers can come together and make it happen.
