Wilder ends losing streak, but questions linger

Former heavyweight world champion Deontay Wilder returned to winning ways with a low-key comeback victory, stopping the overmatched Tyrrell Herndon in the seventh round in Kansas.

Wilder dropped his fellow American in the second round, scored another knockdown in the sixth, and closed the show with two chopping right hands a round later, prompting the referee to wave it off.

After a torrid few years - three defeats in his previous four bouts, most recently a punishing loss to Zhilei Zhang in Saudi Arabia - Wilder registered his first win since October 2022.

But while it was a dominant performance, it was far from vintage Bronze Bomber.

Once the most feared puncher in the division and perhaps the greatest one-shot finisher of all time, the old Wilder would likely have dispatched Herndon earlier and to more fanfare.

With a sparse crowd at the Charles Koch Arena in Wichita and no major television broadcast, it was a modest setting for a fighter who once shook arenas and headlined pay-per-view events against the likes of Tyson Fury.

Gone were the diamond-encrusted masks and theatrical entrances. This was a stripped-back re-entry, but perhaps that's what Wilder needed.

"I've been laid off for a long time, getting myself back together, repairing myself emotionally. It is just nice to be back in the ring. This is a new beginning for me," the 39-year-old said.

Wilder - who recently split from long-time trainer Malik Scott - floored Herndon with a sharp counter left hook in the second round, a reminder that his timing and instincts remain dangerous.

But for much of the early rounds, his trademark weapon - the devastating straight right - stayed largely silent. Instead, it was his left hand and a steady jab that brought him success.

"I wanted to display more. Taking my time to be able to set up my shot and become more than my right hand. I want to become a complete, all-round fighter," Wilder said post-fight.

Herndon, 37, had lost five of his previous 28 bouts. In 2023, highly rated American prospect Richard Torrez Jr stopped him inside two rounds.

By the midway point, Wilder began finding the right hand with more consistency. The stoppage came with Herndon still on his feet, and while perhaps a touch early, the outcome felt inevitable.

It was a clear and composed win, but not an explosive one.

"There's a lot of things I did right and there are a lot of things I could have done right as well," Wilder added.

Wilder has now stopped 43 opponents in 44 wins, many in dramatic fashion.

But since his trilogy with Briton Fury - a brutal, history-making rivalry that saw him floored five times and stopped twice - Wilder has never quite looked the same.

Those defeats appeared to drain not just his record but his aura, confidence, and perhaps his trust in the sport.

In the aftermath, Wilder made unsubstantiated claims of loaded gloves, spiked water and betrayal from within his team, drawing ridicule and alienating some fans.

A long-rumoured bout with Anthony Joshua seemed close in late 2023, but Wilder was soundly beaten on points by New Zealand's Joseph Parker in Saudi Arabia. It was a flat, uninspired display that derailed the Joshua fight and raised fresh doubts about Wilder's future.

Then came the crushing fifth-round defeat to Zhang last year - a loss that, to many, looked like the end.

Wilder vanished from the spotlight. He went quiet on social media and drifted off the radar.

He insists he never planned to walk away and says he had been working with a sports psychologist to help him heal and rekindle his love for boxing.

This comeback, he says, was always part of the plan.

Wilder says he still wants to become a unified world champion. On current form, that goal feels distant. Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois will contest the undisputed title next month, and Wilder is well outside that picture.

Still, in heavyweight boxing - where power and name value still matter - nothing is impossible.

"When you're in the heavyweight division you're always one fight away from a title fight," Wilder said, adding that he will "take his time" before facing the division's elite.

"A lot of money is on the line but sometimes it ain't all about the money," he added.

One fight looms large: Joshua. Once the dream matchup of the division, it's now two former champions with everything to lose.

A title may no longer be on the line, but their careers, pride and potentially one last shot at glory would be.

A lucrative bout with former UFC champion Francis Ngannou in Africa has been touted, while British cult favourite Dave Allen has also been thrown into the mix by his promoter, Eddie Hearn.

For now, though, the Bronze Bomber is back. He may no longer be the division's most feared force, but his name still carries weight.