Deontay Wilder makes a winning comeback when he knocks out Robert Helenius in the first round.
Former heavyweight world champion Deontay Wilder knocked out Robert Helenius in the first round in Brooklyn, New York. This was the "Bronze Bomber's" winning return to boxing.
The 36-year-old American was back in the ring for the first time since Tyson Fury knocked him out twice in a row last October.
He used his famous right hand to hit his Finnish opponent Helenius right in the face with a few seconds left in the first round.
Wilder said, "It was a great night."
"I had to go slowly. I made him stretch. I wanted to be quick, flexible, and mean. I set him up, let him get close, and then attacked when he was close enough."
He added: "We wanted to bring back the fun. You can do this as long as it's not your job. It can just be something you do. We made it fun. It worked out very well."
Wilder's record is now 43-2, with one draw and 42 knockouts. He beat his old sparring partner Helenius at the Barclays Center.
Wilder had never lost before Fury beat him twice in a row. This was the first time in his career that he had lost, and it cost him the WBC title he had held since 2015. In the months after that, he thought about retiring.
Next, he could fight former world champion Andy Ruiz Jr. of the United States or Ukraine's Oleksandr Usyk. He also wants to fight Britain's Anthony Joshua, who he thinks would be "the number one fight in the world."
"Who's up? I'm up for anything, "Wilder said. "Andy Ruiz, Usyk or whatever. I'm back. In the heavyweight division, things are getting exciting again."
Wilder cried at his post-fight news conference when he talked about how dangerous boxing is.
He talked about former boxer Prichard Colon, who in 2015 had a brain injury that changed his life.