American former heavyweight Deontay Wilder has come back to the ring in solid fashion after stopping countryman Tyrrell Anthony Herndon in the 7th round of their 10-round fight. The two fighters headlined at the Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, Kansas, on June 27.
Deontay Wilder vs. Tyrrell Anthony Herndon
Deontay Wilder (44-4-1, 43 KO’s) returned from inactivity after roughly a year since his June 1st fight against Chinese heavyweight (200+ lbs) Zhilei Zhang (27-3-1, 22 KO’s). Faced against American contender Tyrrell Anthony Herndon (24-6, 15 KO’s), Wilder faced an unranked opponent with a rather unflattering resume, indicating Herdon’s position as a tune-up fight and thus an ideal opponent for Wilder to comeback following the last two losses he suffered.
As expected, ring rust seemed to dictate both fighters’ pace ― who had not fought for over a year ― in the 1st round, with the back and forth between the two sparse and fairly inconsequential. Based on activity, Wilder won the round by a slight margin but did not thoroughly impress.
In the 2nd round, things began heating up more quickly. Both fighters became more active, taking in turns in pressuring each other though Herndon proved less effective as Wilder’s reach and jab prevented him from gaining any momentum. For the most part, Wilder was the more aggressive fighter as he managed to pin Herndon on the ropes several times. In turn, Herndon’s attacks were largely ineffective as he failed to breach the reach disadvantage he suffered.
Through his jabs and combinations, Wilder’s pressure eventually resulted in a knockdown with the left hand in the 2nd round. This would become a staple for him throughout the following rounds, culminating in him largely dominating the rest of the fight with his size and reach advantages ― as well as through his activity.
Showing increased engagement as opposed to his previous two fights, Deontay Wilder showed a flurry of combinations on multiple occasions, drifting away on the overreliance of his right hand as he showed throughout most of his career.
After knocking down Herndon again in the 6th round, the ‘Bronze Bomber’ continued his aggressive onslaught in the 7th and the fight was eventually stopped in the closing minute of the round after the referee stopped the fight ― culminating in a technical knockout (TKO) win for Wilder. With Herndon having suffered several unanswered blows continuously over the past couple of rounds despite remaining standing, the referee appeared to be on the correct side of their decision.
While Deontay Wilder finally managed to net his first win since 2022, Tyrrell Herndon’s ability and lackluster resume makes the win highly expected and does not reflect how well Wilder would do against any of the top fighters at heavyweight, including British rival Anthony Joshua (28-4, 25 KO’s). However, Wilder has shown some relative improvements during his bout with Herndon that suggests he is not yet finished in the division, and can gradually make his mark at heavyweight.
