Deontay Wilder Breaks Down Crying While Talking About Knocking Out His Friend Robert Helenius

Deontay Wilder scored his first win in almost three years Saturday night to move to 43-2-1 in his career.

Wilder’s victory came at the expense of Robert Helenius who “The Bronze Bomber” viciously knocked out with just three seconds remaining in the first round.

Helenius, Wilder’s former training partner, was out cold for several minutes before finally being able to right himself and leave the ring under his own power.

During the post-fight presser, Deontay Wilder was asked if he was concerned about his friend’s condition as he lay motionless on the canvas.

His response was filled with emotion and at one point Wilder had to compose himself after breaking down in tears crying.

“I always have concern for all fighters,” Wilder said. “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.

“But my heart goes out to him and I hope he’s doing okay 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.”

“We demand respect at all times, every fighter that steps in the ring,” Wilder continued. “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.”

Deontay Wilder broke down talking about the negative effects boxing can have on a fighter

Wilder got extremely emotional when he brought up the devastating impact boxing had on Prichard Colon and his family. After a fight in 2015, Colon diagnosed with brain bleeding and went into a coma for 221 days. Two years later he was still in a persistent vegetative state, but has since shown small progress.

“We’ve seen what happened,” Wilder said. “Look at [Colon.] This man ain’t have no kids. They don’t understand, y’all don’t f—ing understand what we go through. I don’t even know him like that, but I’ll always be an advocate for us because this man will never know what it feels like to be somebody’s father. That’s one of the most precious things in the world, to be somebody’s father, but he’ll never be nobody’s father. This man will never have a natural ability of living again because he got in the ring to support his family.

“Now his family has to take care of him for the rest of his life. He probably would have been the breadwinner of his family and now they’re seeking help and s–t like that. I could say so much about it. That’s why you can’t play this. This is serious.”

At one point in his boxing career, Wilder said he “wanted to catch a body.” It’s pretty safe to say that he has matured since then and realizes what’s really at stake each time he fights.

For what it’s worth, Robert Helenius posted a photo to Instagram on Sunday with the caption, “A big thanks for all the love and support. I’m all god [sic] after a check up at the hospital.”

[MMA Fighting]