Deontay Wilder broke down at the post fight press conference following his first-round knockout victory over Robert Helenus.
Wilder got emotional when discussing the negative side of boxing, and referenced Prichard Colon, who was left in a vegetative state as a result of his 2016 fight against Terrel Williams.
“We’ve saw what can happen, look at Prichard Colon.”
“Y’all don’t understand what we go through man. I’ve always been an advocate for us.”
“This man won’t know what it’ll be like to be somebody’s father – that’s one of the most beautiful things in the world.”
Deontay Wilder gets emotional and cries at the post-fight presser after his KO of Robert Helenius as he discusses the dangers of boxing and Prichard Colon, who suffered a life-altering brain injury…
[📽️ @PremierBoxing] pic.twitter.com/hEaK9LqSUU
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) October 16, 2022
There was initial concern at ringside following Wilder’s brutal KO of Helenius, however the Finn soon got to his feet and doesn’t appeared to have suffered any serious injuries.
‘The Bronze Bomber’ now seems set for a 2023 meeting with PBC stablemate Andy Ruiz Jr in what would likely be a final eliminator for WBC world champion and long-time Wilder foe Tyson Fury.
As well calling out Ruiz in his post-fight speech, Wilder also called out unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk for a fight that would be an intriguing clash of pure skill vs pure power.
“I’m down for whatever. Whether it’s Andy Ruiz, or Usyk, or whoever. Let’s bring it on.
Deontay Wilder is back. The excitement in the heavyweight division is back. There’s no heavyweight division without Deontay Wilder. That’s facts.”
In what is a golden era for the blue-ribbon division, fans were unanimous in their verdict that the return of Wilder was fantastic news for the heavyweight landscape.