Deontay Wilder has broken the record for the fewest punches landed in a heavyweight knockout victory with just three connecting on Robert Helenius during their WBC eliminator bout on Saturday night.
After twelve months out of the ring, Wilder quickly took care of business as he landed a short right hand off the backfoot to close out the show with three seconds left on the clock in round one. According to the punch stats from CompuBox, Wilder just landed three of the seventeen punches he threw while Helenius scored five from 22.
The devastating knockout sent a brutal reminder to the rest of the heavyweight division that it only takes one from The Bronze Bomber.
Speaking after his violent victory, an emotional Wilder said: “It just feels so good to be back baby, when I came off the plane and set my foot on the ground, I felt great energy. I felt the love, I felt the support and that’s all I needed. So, when I stepped in the ring, I felt the same thing and I knew it was going to be a great night and it was for me.
Wilder is now expected to face Andy Ruiz Jr in a WBC final eliminator to determine the next mandatory challenger for Tyson Fury’s green belt. According to sanctioning body president Mauricio Sulaimán, the contest will be ordered at the WBC convention next month.
Wilder had hoped that he would be squaring off against unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk in his following bout after the Ukrainian expressed interest in fighting the winner of Wilder-Helenius. However, Usyk’s promoter Egis Klimas has since come out to confirm that they are only willing to fight Fury for the undisputed crown next, which is understood to be in negotiations for February 2023.