By: Sean Crose
Make no mistake – Deontay Wilder is still a very bad man. He may be a great guy in his private life but the former WBC heavyweight proved to the world Saturday night at Brooklyn’s Barclay Center that he can be a viscous boxer. how. They say all it takes is one punch. And really, that’s all it took Wilder to take out longtime rival Robert Helenius in the first round of Saturday’s pay-per-view main event. Needles said the fight was scheduled for 12 rounds. Not, perhaps, anyone feels it will last that long – as both fighters are known predators.
However, Wilder’s power is always on the next level. Indeed, the Alabama native may be the heaviest boxer the boxing world has ever seen. That is really saying something. There was little doubt that the rugged Helenius, when he arrived, would agree with the assertion. Engaged with Wilder as the war’s opening chapter ends, Helenius is hit by a bullet that even sounds painful – although there’s doubt that the poor man felt a lot on his way to the carpet.
Helenius lay there only moments later, eyes open, body lying flat on the sheet. It was a terrifying sight. But that’s what Deontay Wilder has been in the business for a long time – terrifying people with his powers. Even divisional king Tyson Fury was brought to the mat by Wilder several times in their three tough fights. Suffice it to say it was business as usual for the so-called “Copper Bomber” on Saturday night. After leaving the ring a year, it’s worth wondering if Wilder still has “that element”. His previous two fights both ended in crushing defeats, with Fury overtaking him both times in the distance after all. However, after his very brief fight with Helenius on Saturday, the only thing really worth wondering is what happens next for Wilder now that his fight back has come to an end in such a flash.
