Deontay Wilder issued a passionate statement after a successful comeback to the boxing ring.
This past Saturday, the former WBC heavyweight champion marked his return to action against Robert Helenius at Barclays Center in New York. He into the bout looking to get back in the winning column after two straight losses to Tyson Fury.
Wilder scored a vicious knockout of Helenius when he connected with a massive right hook that called a stop to the contest.
Deontay Wilder issues passionate response after brutal KO of Robert Helenius
Following the result, Deontay Wilder came to tears in an emotional response at the post-fight press conference.
“I always have concern for all fighters,” Wilder said (ht MMA Fighting). “I’m a big advocate for fighters because like I always say, we get done wrong. A sport is something you play. You don’t play this. We risk our lives for you guys’ entertainment and I speak that forever. When you have a relationship with a man, when you love a man, and you build a friendship with another man, although he’s thousands of miles away from where I am, when you see things like that, you want to come to their aid. I wanted to come to his aid but they wouldn’t let me and I understood, because he needed space.
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…
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“But my heart goes out to him and I hope he’s doing OK and he can be able to go back to his family, because this is a tough business that we’re in. This is why I tell people, you’ve got to respect all fighters. People always go about worrying about records and all this, ‘He lost, he’s a bum,’ and all that. You get your bum ass in there then and let’s see who’s the bum, really. Because you don’t play this. You can’t play this.
Wilder expressed concern for Helenius’ health after the massive blow
Deontay Wilder expressed his concern about the long-term health of his friend and former training partner, calling on the viewers to show Helenius respect.
“We demand respect at all times, every fighter that steps in the ring. I don’t care what the record is, I don’t care who they are or where they come from, it demands respect, because if not, then you see things like that happen. And then, ‘Oh, it’s a great knockout,’ Yeah, it’s a great knockout, it’s devastating, making history and stuff like that, but how much is that man going to suffer?
“He may be alright right now, a little bit, but what about the next day? What about two weeks from now? What about a month from now? Maybe years from now.”
Are you excited to see Deontay Wilder get back in the boxing ring?