Dominant Wilder says he's 'back' after quick KO

Former heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder marked his much-anticipated instrumentality to the boxing ringing with a thunderous knockout punch that stopped Robert Helenius successful the opening circular of their bout astatine Barclays Center successful the Brooklyn borough of New York City connected Saturday night.

A punch similar that 1 declared Wilder's intentions to beryllium a unit successful the division. In lawsuit it wasn't wide by his performance, Wilder emphasized the constituent aft the match.

"Deontay Wilder is back," helium said successful his postfight interrogation connected Fox. "The excitement successful the heavyweight part is back."

Wilder was making his instrumentality to in-ring enactment for the archetypal clip since helium mislaid to Tyson Fury past October. Fury became the archetypal foe to ever get up from a Wilder knockdown erstwhile helium got disconnected the mat successful the 12th circular during their divided gully successful 2018. Fury past proceeded to triumph the adjacent 2 fights by knockout, including their bout past twelvemonth that featured 5 knockdowns betwixt them and was considered by galore arsenic the combat of the year.

In his archetypal combat since the Fury trilogy, Wilder (43-2-1, 42 KOs) opted to combat Helenius, a Finnish contender who sparred with Wilder for his bouts with Fury. Helenius (31-4, 20 KOs) was coming disconnected 2 consecutive knockout wins implicit Adam Kownacki.

"I knew what helium is susceptible of," Wilder said aft the bout. "I didn't instrumentality him for granted. I could look successful his eyes. He wanted to beryllium [the archetypal Finnish] heavyweight champion."

Feeling Wilder's powerfulness successful headgear is 1 thing. Trying to withstand that unit successful an existent bout is an wholly antithetic matter.

In the closing seconds of the archetypal round, Helenius tried to onshore a operation connected Wilder from a distance. The erstwhile champion from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, picked his spot and unloaded the close manus that promptly dropped Helenius and ended the combat 3 seconds earlier the doorbell rang.

Helenius ne'er adjacent made it backmost to his corner.

"I allowed him to reach," Wilder told Fox. "And past erstwhile helium reached, I attacked."

The triumph emphatically started the last signifier of Wilder's career.

Leading up to the bout, Wilder stated helium intended to combat until 2025, erstwhile helium turns 40 years old. With his idiosyncratic deadline connected the horizon, Wilder said helium wanted to pursuit fights against apical boxers who volition person to reckon with his power.

"Most of the clip erstwhile guys accidental they privation maine and they travel to a amusement of mine, they spot a devastating knockout similar that, they crook the country connected me," Wilder said successful the ringing aft the fight.

He mentioned unified champion Oleksandr Usyk and erstwhile champion Andy Ruiz arsenic imaginable opponents. Anthony Joshua, different erstwhile champion who mislaid his belts to Usyk, was idiosyncratic Wilder mentioned during the prefight buildup, but helium didn't notation Joshua aft dropping Helenius.

The idiosyncratic Wilder faces adjacent volition effort to articulation Fury and Bermane Stiverne arsenic the lone Wilder opponents not to succumb to his power.

Almost instantly aft the last punch landed Saturday, Wilder placed his gloves connected his hips and stared into the assemblage arsenic Helenius was level connected the canvas, different recipient of 1 of the astir devastating punches successful boxing history.

Wilder held a blank look connected his face. It was astir arsenic if helium were asking the fans successful Brooklyn if they expected thing less.