Deontay Wilder blasts out Helenius in first to roar back into title picture

Deontay Wilder knocked out Robert Helenius in the first round Saturday night, powerfully punching his way back into the win column after consecutive losses to Tyson Fury.

The former heavyweight champion moved cautiously for most of the round before unleashing his right hand that has long been considered the best in the business. He knew it was over, posing against the ropes even before the fight had been stopped.

“When you fight Deontay Wilder, you have to have your A-plus-plus game,” Wilder said.

Wilder 43-2-1 (42 KOs) won emphatically in his first fight since getting stopped twice by Fury, the latter in the 11th round last October after Fury got up from two knockdowns.

But Helenius (31-4) wasn’t getting up from the straight right hand that ended the match with three seconds remaining in the first round at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Fury was able to deal with Wilder’s power and he’s been the only one so far who has getting up from four total knockdowns in their three fights. But Helenius wasn’t in that class.

He used his roughly 40lb edge to move Wilder back for much of the round, and had him back in the corner when Wilder unleashed the right that ended the Finnish fighter’s hopes of moving closer to a title shot.

“I set him up,” Wilder said. “I allowed him to reach and when he reached, I attacked. It was a great fight.”

Wilder could quickly get another one for the heavyweight title after showing again why his power makes him one of the can’t-miss attractions in the sport.

He held a portion of the heavyweight title for five years and could seek a chance against Oleksandr Usyk, who owns the three belts besides the one Fury took from Wilder. Other names that will be mentioned include former champions Anthony Joshua and