Somewhere Over the Rainbow, Deontay Wilder Stops Herndon in Kansas Comeback
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
Wichita, Kansas (June 29th, 2025)– Somewhere over the rainbow, former World Heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder, age 39, inactive for over a year, returning in top condition and relying on a consistent left jab mixed with some left hooks, scored knockdowns in round two and six and finally stopped defensive Tyrrell Anthony Herndon in the seventh round of a comeback, in the main event at Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, Kansas, on Friday, June 27, 2025.
Wilder, now 44-4-1 with 43 knockouts, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, used a consistent jab, boxing meticulously and patiently, moving forward and cutting off the ring, forcing a cautious Herndon, 24-6 with 15 knockouts, San Antonio, Texas, to wear earmuffs most of the bout in defensive posture. As Wilder won every round, with the defensive Herndon throwing punches only rarely, Wilder simply walked Herndon down and broke him down. Perhaps Herndon’s strategy at age 37 was to try to get Wilder to throw his right hands wildly all night, miss and tire himself out. Herndon moved well for five rounds while waiting for Wilder to get careless. Instead, Wilder boxed a technically sound bout, and waited patiently for the eventually battered Herndon to slow down his ring pace. Herndon stood in front of Wilder despite his movement, offering a target while frequently getting warned for bending over.
Body punches were rare in this bout, though the fighter was wild. Simply put, Wilder was not reckless or careless, and conserved his energy for the second half of the bout while winning every round behind the left jab. The right hand, which made Wilder famous, was virtually nonexistent until the very end of the bout. Finally, three powerful right hands by Wilder knocked a tired Herndon backwards. The third Wilder right hand sent a helpless Herndon reeling backwards into the ropes, where referee Ray Corona stopped the bout at 2:16 of the seventh round.
This was a small step in Wilder’s comeback, and ‘The Bronze Bomber’ exposed Herndon as not even an eight round fighter against main event opposition, despite his impressive record coming into this bout. Whether Wilder goes after Anthony Joshua, Dereck Chisora, Joe Joyce, or one of the similar older top heavyweight names he has not yet fought who are out there in the future remains to be seen. Inactivity and ring rust were Wilder’s biggest obstacles against Herndon, though it appeared Wilder did do the work in preparation for this bout. Understanding his right hand was telegraphing itself, missing and no longer reliable on its own, Wilder fought Larry Holmes style, using his left hand jab to perfection to win rounds based on height and reach advantage, and kept his emotions in check without underestimating his opponent. For the most part, the defensive Herndon fought a survival game, with not much offense behind it. Wilder, realizing this, got rounds in, and took his time breaking Herndon down, bloodying Herndon’s nose, and scoring for points while conserving energy. The Herndon bout is the most technical bout Wilder has won to date.
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