Deontay Wilder vs. Robert Helenius: LIVE updates and results, full coverage
Deontay Wilder needed less than a round to get back into the win column.
Wilder stopped Robert Helenius with a single right hand in the final seconds of the round, a punch that knocked the Finn out cold. He lay on the canvas for several minutes before getting up.
Wilder caught Helenius coming in to throw his own right hand. He just beat Helenius to the punch.
The official time of the stoppage was 2:57 of Round 1.
Wilder was coming off back-to-back knockout losses to Tyson Fury, the first of which cost him his WBC heavyweight title.
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Caleb Plant stopped Anthony Dirrell in the ninth round in his first fight since he was knocked out by Canelo Alvarz in May.
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Heavyweight contender Frank Sanchez stopped Carlos Negron at 1:36 of the ninth round of their scheduled 10-round bout.
Sanchez (21-0, 14 KOs) put Negron (25-4, 20 KOs) down with a big right in Round 9. The Puerto Rican was able to get up but endured a barrage of follow-up shots, which prompted the referee to stop the fight.
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Emmanuel Rodriguez defeated fellow bantamweight contender Gary Antonio Russell by a one-sided technical decision in a scheduled 12-round bout that was stopped after nine rounds.
Doctors determined that Rodriguez couldn’t continue after he was hurt by an accidental head butt in Round 9.
Rodriguez (21-2, 13 KOs) dominated Russell (19-1, 12 KOs) in the fight, winning by scores of 100-90, 99-91 and 99-93 in what was billed as a title eliminator.
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Former heavyweight titleholder Deontay Wilder faces Robert Helenius tonight (Saturday) at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York (pay-per-view).
Wilder is coming off back-to-back knockout losses to Tyson Fury, the first of which cost him his WBC belt. Helenius stopped Adam Kownacki in his last two fights.
In another featured bout, former 168-pound titleholder Caleb Plant, coming off a knockout loss to Canelo Alvarez in May, returns against veteran Anthony Dirrell.
The main portion of the card starts at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.
Boxing Junkie will post results immediately afterward. Simply return to this post when the time comes.
Full coverage – a fight story, photo gallery and analysis – will follow on separate posts the night of the fight and the following day.
Enjoy the fights!
