Deontay Wilder breaks down in tears during press conference after win against Robert Helenius

American boxer Deontay Wilder made a stunning return to the ring after a first-round knockout win over Robert Helenius on Saturday night. 

This was Wilder’s first fight after his defeat against Briton Tyson Fury in October of 2021. However, the 36-year-old showed no signs of rustiness as he unleashed the telling blow which knocked Helenius out cold with seconds remaining in the first round. 

Wilder’s victory over Helenius at the Barclays Center in New York means that he now has a 43-2 record, with 42 knockout wins. 

After the fight, he said: “It was a great night. 

“I had to take my time. I was making him reach. I wanted to be mobile, agile and hostile. I set him up, allowed him to reach and then when he reached, I attacked.” 

During his post-fight press conference, Wilder got emotional and broke down in tears when talking about the danger that comes with the sport. 

Wilder said: “My heart goes out to him and I hope he’s doing ok [Robert Helenius], he’s gonna be able to go back to his family. 

“You know, people always going on about records and all this oh he lost and he’s a bum and all that, get your bum ass in there. That’s a great knockout, he’s devastating and making history and stuff like that.” 

Wilder was visibly emotional when speaking about Prichard Colon, who was left with life-changing injuries after a fight with Terrel Williams in 2015. 

Wilder continued: “How much that man gonna suffer? We’ve seen what’s happened, look at Colon, Prichard Colon, this man ain’t have no kids, they don’t understand, they need to understand what we go through man, and I don’t even know him like that, but he’ll always be an advocate for us. 

“This man won’t ever know what it’s like to be someone’s father and that's the most precious thing in the world to be somebody's father. But he won't ever be somebody's father because he got in the ring to support his family, but now, his family gotta take care of him for the rest of his life. 

“We don’t know if Robert will be the same after this, I just did a job.”