Boxing: Wilder destroys Helenius with a lightning right in the first round

The American Deontay Wilder, with a lightning right in the first round, knocked out the Finn Robert Helenius, for his return to the ring a year after his second defeat in a row against the British Tyson Fury, in a heavyweight fight, Saturday in Brooklyn.

It was three seconds from the end of the first round that the "

" placed a short but powerful jab, taken full face by Helenius, who fell on the Barclays Center ring with his eyes slightly staring into the void.

He was finally helped up and was able to return to the locker room.

Meanwhile, the American, who hit the mark on his third shot having hit his target, savored his 43rd victory, his 42nd before the limit (2 losses, 1 draw), which validates his attempt to return to the fore at 36 years, even if he moved away from the hierarchy.

Because the WBC champion, who dismissed him in February 2020 and knocked him out again for their third confrontation in October 2021, after one of the most beautiful fights in heavyweight history, is still Tyson Fury .

Which had forced him to a draw during the first act of their trilogy in December 2018.

Helenius collapses in the first round.

ANGELA WEISS / AFP

A fourth confrontation is all the more hypothetical as to become the official challenger of the "

", Wilder will first have to beat Andy Ruiz, better placed than him.

The latter had notably stolen the WBA, WBO, IBF titles from Joshua in June 2019, before the Briton recovered them by winning the revenge in December of the same year.

But he could also aim for the WBA, WBO and IBF belts of the Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk, who has just beaten the same Joshua for the second time.

“

», for his part exclaimed Wilder, not without having had a friendly thought -«

- for Helenius, who was his sparring partner last year to prepare for his third fight against Fury, and conceded his 4th defeat (31 victories, including 20 before the limit) at 38 years old.