Deontay Wilder is back in the win column. After losing back-to-back fights and four of five, the former WBC heavyweight champion returned to the ring in Wichita, Kansas to stop Tyrrell Herndon in the seventh round on Friday.
Wilder was much more aggressive in the opening round than he was against Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang, pushing forward behind the jab. Herndon did little beyond circling away and looking to avoid contact, which he did well, avoiding most of Wilder’s fire.
Wilder continued to pressure in the second round and scored his first knockdown with a cuffing left hook that caught Herndon off balance and sent him stumbling to the canvas. Not particularly hurt by the shot, Herndon survived the round.
As the rounds ticked by, Herndon tried to find small spots to unload big punches, and when he threw, Wilder did look a bit uncomfortable. But the bigger story was that Wilder, even showing more aggression than his recent fights, was not hurting Herndon with his attack.
That changed in Round 6, when Wilder amped up the attack even more, mauling Herndon along the perimeter and throwing heavy shots until the referee stepped in as Herndon was held up by the ropes. Despite the second knockdown of the fight, Herndon again managed to survive the round and continue onward.
In Round 7, Wilder continued to try and push for the finish when he landed a straight right hand that slightly stumbled Herndon and the referee jumped in to halt the fight. The stoppage was questionable at best but it seemed unlikely Herndon had any path to victory in the fight at the point the referee stepped in.
The official time of the stoppage was 2:16 of Round 7.
“It felt great. Thanks to my opponent, man, you’re a tough guy,” Wilder said after the fight. “I appreciate the work. … I had a lot, I was laid up a long time getting myself back together, and it’s been a long road for me. I’m just glad to be back in the ring, you know. This is a new beginning for me.”
Ahead of the fight, Wilder promoter Nelson Lopez Jr. claimed this was the first fight of a three-fight plan before attempting to land a fight with two-time unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua.
Wilder’s performance wouldn’t seem to move him closer to that goal. Previously in his career, Herndon was stopped by Efe Ajagba in one round in Ajagba’s pro debut, lost by disqualification to Brandon Glanton and was also stopped in two rounds by Richard Torrez Jr. He was also stopped in the first round by Corey Barlow, who holds a 3-7-2 record.
That Wilder, even showing increased aggression, was unable to replicate those results despite being one of the heaviest punchers in boxing history could cause continued concern for the future of his career.
