After a bright victory in the opening round of the former US heavyweight champion (over 90.7 kg) Deontay Wilder (43-2-1, 42 KOs) over Finn Robert Helenius (31-4, 19 KOs), they shared their instant reaction to what they saw : Undisputed Champion Clarissa Shields, Former Junior Welterweight Champion Ishe Smith, Martial Arts Columnist Teddy Atlas, Former Heavyweight Champion Hasim Rahman, Featherweight Prospect Raymon Ford, Super Welterweight Prospect Brendan Lee, Former Junior Welterweight Champion Regis Prograis, Commentator and former champion Sergio Mora, boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya, former welterweight champion Danny Garcia, Wilder’s trainer J. Deas, former heavyweight champion Charles Martin and former heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis.
- Report from vRINGe: Fantastic! Wilder came back and knocked out Helenius
Clarissa Shields: “Congratulations to Deontay Wilder Bronze Bomber.”
Ishe Smith: “Damn Wilder”
“Honestly, he’ll beat everyone but Fury. Joshua better stay the hell away from him. Mustache… I don’t know if he can handle this shit.”
Teddy Atlas: “Usually, Wilder used the jab to set up a right hand. Today he used his legs. I give him credit for creating the moment to counterattack.”
- Deontay Wilder – Robert Helenius: video of the best moments of the fight
Hasim Rahman: “Well, Wilder is back.”
Raymond Ford: “Right fucking hand!!!”
Brandon Lee: “He fell asleep.”
Regis Prograis: “Wilder has this hammer.”
Sergio Mora: “Wilder will always be a must-see on TV!!!”
Oscar De La Hoya: “Wow, that was the most powerful fastest short right in history. Congrats to Deontay Wilder.”
Danny Garcia: “This is crazy. I thought it would be 3 rounds, but he did it in one. I want to see him with Ruiz. Stylistically it will be better with Ruiz. Usyk is a tough, skillful fighter, it’s hard to look good against him. But I don’t know. Deontay has right hand to knock them all out.”
- Usyk or Ruiz. Wilder was asked who he fights next
Charles Martin: “It was amazing. Good fight for Wilder. Congratulations to him. We trained in the same place. These people know what they are doing. Many people want Wilder to face Usyk, but I would not do it. Because this is heavyweight boxing, and Usyk, as a boxer, is better.”
Jay Dees: “With Deontay, the fight can end at any time. Maybe at the beginning, maybe at the end, maybe in the middle. Robert is a very good fighter. We knew he was a tough guy. This has never happened before with Robert Helenius. So this is tells you a lot about Deontay’s strength. The plan was to set traps, get Robert stretched out and stuff like that. And if the opportunity presents itself, go ahead and finish the job. He did. I’m so happy for Deontay. He’s so stubborn “I worked for this. I can’t think about Usyk now. I’m thinking now about rest and being with my family.”
Lennox Lewis: “Wilder vs. Ruiz, Joshua and Usyk? It’s all about knockout power. Wilder has it. I’ve only seen one person come up after that and win. That’s Tyson Fury. Not many people can get up after a punch like that.”
- Wilder crying at post-match press conference