Deontay Wilder stops Tyrrell Herndon in dominant return, earns first win in nearly 3 years

A pair of signature right hands earned Deontay Wilder his first win in almost three years.

The former heavyweight champion dominated Tyrrell Herndon for a seventh-round TKO in the main event of a BLK Prime pay-per-view Friday night at the Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, Kansas.

Wilder (44-4-1, 43 KOs) was coming off back-to-back defeats to Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang, and had lost four out of his past five fights, however the 39-year-old knockout specialist returned to his winning ways against the little-known Herndon (24-6, 15 KOs) in his debut for Nelson Lopez’s Global Combat Collective promotions.

Under new trainer Don House, “The Bronze Bomber” boxed behind an active jab and found a home for his left hook on the side of Herndon’s head early in the contest. Wilder hadn’t utilized his left hand for several years, but on Friday he went back to the basics and demonstrated that he was more than just a one-trick pony.

Herndon, who mostly did a good job of avoiding Wilder’s right hand in the early rounds, was floored by a counter check hook in the final 30 seconds of Round 2. Herndon had his best moment of the fight in the final minute of Round 4, forcing Wilder back with a counter left hook and connecting with a short right hand on the inside.

Wilder dominated the first five rounds with his left, and Herndon noticeably slowed down with his movement in the sixth, providing Wilder with more opportunities to land his thunderbolt right hand. Wilder bullied Herndon around the ring in the penultimate round, often swinging shots on Herndon’s guard. In the final minute of the round, Herndon’s glove touched the canvas after a pair of chopping rights, and he was counted by referee Ray Corona.

In the deciding frame, Herndon became nothing more than a punching bag. Wilder repeatedly landed powerful shots on a battered Herndon, who could only try to shield himself and endure the onslaught. Two clean right hands from Wilder — with the second one snapping Herndon’s head back — made referee Corona step in and stop the contest in the final minute of the seventh round.

Wilder previously told Uncrowned that he had a second fight in 2025 already scheduled to take place outside the United States. An Anthony Joshua bout remains another lucrative option for Wilder, and it could well happen in 2026 after Joshua returns from injury later this year — provided Wilder puts a win streak together.

Catch complete Wilder vs. Herndon results and highlights below, as well as Uncrowned’s play-by-play of the main card.

Main card (8 p.m. ET, BLK Prime pay-per-view)

Heavyweight: Deontay Wilder def. Tyrrell Herndon via seventh-round TKO | Watch video

(Post-main event) Light heavyweight: Deon Nicholson def. Devonte Williams via fourth-round TKO

Super bantamweight: Nico Hernandez def. Robert Ledesma via second-round KO

Heavyweight: Gustavo Trujillo def. Lateef Kayode via sixth-round TKO

Cruiserweight: Aaron Casper def. Jeff Page Jr. via unanimous decision (59-55, 59-55, 58-56)

Lightweight: Eric Valencia def. Willie Harris via first-round KO

Heavyweight: John Cantrell def. Franklin Sparks via first-round KO

Super lightweight: Jorge Carlos def. Kerim Morkoc via first-round KO

Cruiserweight: Marco Romero def. Andre Amaro via first-round TKO

Featherweight: Chancey Wilson def Joshua Richey via unanimous decision (40-35, 40-35, 39-36)

Lightweight: Kayla Williams def. Helen Lucero via unanimous decision (40-36, 40-36, 39-37)

Super lightweight: Noah Aldana def. General Lee via third-round TKO

Deontay Wilder stops Tyrrell Herndon in dominant return, earns first win in nearly 3 years

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