Deontay Wilder beat Tyrrell Herndon by seventh-round TKO Friday night at Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, Kansas, possibly breathing life back into Wilder’s boxing career.
The former heavyweight world champion had lost four of his past five fights – including three by knockout – before his successful return to the ring.
Wilder, 39, did not land the thunderbolt right hand for which he is known. But he hit Herndon hard enough to win the fight, which the referee waved off at 2:16 of Round 7. Wilder also showed versatility, using his jab, his left and the right. He scored knockdowns in Round 2 and Round 6, but neither were the result of the infamous right hand.
“I know I didn’t give everybody what they truly wanted to see, but we going to get better and better as we get going,’’ Wilder said during an in-ring interview on the BLK Prime livestream. “This is a new beginning for me, so we’re striving to be better and better each day to give people what they want.”
Wilder improved to 44-4-1. Herndon, a 37-year-old journeyman from San Antonio, dropped to 24-6.
Wilder won the WBC world heavyweight championship in 2015 and defended the title 10 times before losing it to Tyson Fury in 2020. Wilder was fighting for the first time since he got knocked out in the fifth round by Zhilei Zhang on June 1, 2024.
‘I laid off a long time getting myself back together, getting myself mentally, physically, emotionally back together,’ Wilder said. ‘It’s been a long road for me. Just glad to be back in the ring.’
Deontay Wilder vs. Tyrrell Herndon fight: Round-by-round analysis
Round 1
Buster Douglas, who shocked the world when he knocked out Mike Tyson in 1990, is in attendance. Tyrrell Herndon is hoping to borrow that “shock the world’’ script as his fight against Deontay Wilder begins. Wilder lets fly with a sharp left. Misses. They’re standing toe-to-toe before Herndon begins backpedaling, wisely. Wilder looks to be in terrific shape but so far is relying on the left jab. Herndon looks understandably cautious. Wilder stalking, but the right hand remains holstered. Now he lets a right go and misses. Herndon looks far more focused on avoiding the big punch than throwing one. Wilder returns to his jab but not showing ferocity. Wilder 10, Herndon 9.
Round 2
Wilder opens by flicking the left jab again. Herndon responds with his own jab and Wilder backs away. Then Wilder unloads a right that misses the mark. Wilder pawing now with the jab and backing away. He is not exuding the Wilder confidence. Throws another big right that Herndon dodges and he scurries away. Herndon has yet to throw a punch of consequence, but eats another jab. Oh, Wilder lands a left jab that knocks Herndon down! Herndon indicates it was a slip, and he’s quickly up and the fight resumes. Wilder 20, Herndon 17.
Round 3
Wilder firing the jab and looks more comfortable. Herndon looks stymied by Wilder’s significant reach advantage. He sidesteps another Wilder right without countering. His next impressive punch will be his first, as Wilder dominates the action here behind his jab. Misses with an uppercut and continues to stalk Herndon with the jab. Herndon lands a jab. Let’s document it before we forget it. He unloads with a right that’s way off the mark and the round ends. Wilder 30, Herndon 26.
Round 4
Wilder comes out aggressively, but he eats a left as he tries to position himself for … the KO punch? Wilder again working behind the left jab. Herndon lands a couple of effective lefts and this fight suddenly looks less one-sided. Herndon showing more confidence, at which point Wilder unloads his right and has Herndon escaping by bouncing off the ropes. Sloppy. Bell rings. Wilder 40, Herndon 35.
Round 5
Wilder throws a left and a right and is getting revved up. He tags Herndon with a right that backs up Herndon but won’t close Herndon’s eyes and end the fight. Herndon fighting back. Well, trying. Having trouble closing the distance between himself and Wilder. Wilder lands a nice left but can’t find his target with the right. Herndon lands a noteworthy right before the round ends with Herndon bleeding from the nose. Wilder 50, Herndon 44.
Round 6
Wilder delivers a hard left to the body, not unleashing rights. Herndon’s on the canvas, but this time it’s a slip. Wilder pounces, unleashing his left and right as Herndon ducks. Wilder throwing rights but struggling to hit the mark. Herndon smiling, then lowers his head and reaches for Wilder in hopes of holding on. Wilder unloading rights and down goes Herndon. As a result of letting his gloves hit the canvas. Herndon back up and the fight resumes. Wilder unloading again, drills Herndon and throws him to the canvas as the round ends. Wilder 60, Herndon 52.
Round 7
Wilder comes out behind that left jab. Throws a big right that misses. But he lands with a follow-up and scores with a left. Herndon, covering up, drops to his knee in a corner. Boos can be heard. Wilder moving forward, lands a big right and the referee stops the fight! It’s Wilder by TKO!
Deon Nicholson def. Devonte Williams
Most of the crowd had emptied the arena before this bizarre finish. Originally scheduled as the co-main event, the light heavyweight bout ended up serving as the final and most confounding fight of the night.
The BLK Prime broadcasters repeatedly suggested Williams was looking for a way out of the fight. Williams virtually confirmed it in the fourth round, when he took a knee after getting hit with a body shot, smiled, spit out his mouthguard and watched as the referee halted the fight.
It was hard to tell who was smiling more broadly – Nicholson, who improved to 22-1, or Williams, who dropped to 13-2 after appearing to let the bout end prematurely.
Deontay Wilder vs. Tyrrell Herndon: Time, PPV, streaming for fight
The highly anticipated bout between Deontay Wilder vs. Tyrrell Herndon will take place on Friday, June 27 and can be watched on BLK Prime pay-per-view.
Date: Friday, June 27, 2025
Time: 9 p.m. ET
Location: Wichita, Kansas
PPV: BLK Prime pay-per-view
Streaming: Fubo as a Pay-per-view
Deontay Wilder vs. Tyrrell Herndon main card, ring walk start times
Main card start time: 9 p.m. ET
Main event ring walks: 11 p.m. ET (approximate)
Nico Hernandez def. Robert Ledesma by TKO
Hernandez, a bronze medalist at the 2016 Olympics, put on a show. Fighting for the first time in two years, Hernandez, a native of Wichita, dominated Ledesma with power and flair.
Hernandez, 29, knocked down Ledesma with a body punch in the first round and did it a second time in the following round, at which point the ref waved off the fight.
Hernandez improved to 12-0.
Ledesma, a 37-year-old from San Antonio, hardly looked like Olympic medalist material while falling to 3-15-1.
Gustavo Trujillo def. Lateef Kayode by TKO
Trujillo pounded Kayode into submission in the sixth round of the heavyweight bout. It ended with Kayode’s corner calling to the ref to end the fight, with the referee officially halting it at 2:15 of the sixth round.
Trujillo, a 32-year-old Cuban, improved to 8-0.
Kayode looked stiff and awkward almost from the start of the bout. But while he continued to absorb punishment, he periodically fought back.
That finally ceased in the sixth round as Trujillo whaled away. Kayode, a 42-year-old from Nigeria, dropped to 22-6.
Aaron Casper def Jeff Page Jr. by unanimous decision
Do not judge a fighter by his record. At least not the 8-11-2 record that Casper brought into the fight.
Casper consistently landed a variety of head-snapping punches and won the six-round cruiserweight fight.
The judges scored it 59-55, 59-55, 58-56 in favor of Casper, a 36-year-old from Georgia.
Page entered with a record of 18-3, and Casper seemed to be only one of his issues. So was ring rust and fatigue while fighting pro for the first time in eight years.
Eric Valencia def. Willie Harris by TKO
It started oddly, with Harris taking a knee just a few seconds into the fight after taking a punch to the head.
The lightweight bout ended somewhat mysteriously, too, when Harris dropped to the canvas several seconds after getting hit by a body shot later in the first round. He wore a look of agony, indicated he couldn’t continue and the referee waved off the fight.
Valencia, 21, improved to 4-0. Harris, 20, dropped to 0-2.
John Cantrell def. Franklin Sparks by KO
The canvas is getting a workout at Charles Koch Arena. Cantrell floored Sparks with a knockout punch that left him slumped in the corner in the first round of their heavyweight fight.
Cantrell, a 35-year-old from Kansas, improved to 14-0. Sparks, a 40-year-old from Missouri, dropped to 4-5.
Cantrell’s first-round KO was the second straight on the card
Jorge Carlos def. Jay Krupp by KO
The 42-year-old Krupp returned to the ring for the first time in almost 10 years. For a chance to face undefeated, 19-year-old Carlos.
It’s no stretch to think Krupp will regret the decision.
Carlos knocked him out in the first round with a brutal body shot. Krupp already had gone down once from another left to the body. The KO shot left him wincing, gasping for air and clearly unable to continue the lightweight bout.
Kansas City’s Carlos improved to 10-0 and Florida’s Krupp fell to 18-11.
Marco Romero def. Andre Amaro by KO
Amaro took the fight on short notice. It ended on short notice, too.
The 43-year-old Amaro of Hawaii crumpled to the canvas in the first round of the super middleweight bout after getting clubbed by an overhand right from the 19-year-old Romero of Wichita.
With the knockout, Romero improved to 9-0 with eight KOs. Amaro dropped to 2-1.
Chauncey Wilson def. Joshua Richey by unanimous decision
Wilson celebrated his victory with a double backflip that was almost as entertaining as the four-round featherweight fight.
Showboating. Trash talking. Plenty of slugging, and a knockdown.
It was Wilson who knocked down Richey in the second round in the pro debut of both fighters who hail from Wichita, Kansas.
The judges scored it 40-35, 40-35 and 39-36 for the 33-year-old Wilson. Richey, 31, got no creativity points despite what appeared to be an attempt to throw a punch from behind his back during a clinch.
Kayla Williams def. Helen Lucero by unanimous decision
At 47, Helen Lucero of Denver stepped into the ring with an 0-4 record and a chance to end the skid against a fighter 15 years younger.
No luck.
Kayla Williams, a 32-year-old from Andover, Kansas, controlled the fight with her trusty right hand during the four-round lightweight fight. She improved to 2-1. Lucero never backed down but suffered her fifth straight loss by decision.
The judges scored the fight 40-39, 40-39 and 39-37 in favor of Williams
Noah Aldana def. General Lee by TKO
Aldana dropped Lee to the canvas with a straight right followed by a left in the third round of their lightweight fight.
With Lee bleeding from the mouth and wobbly as he reached his feet, the referee stopped the fight at 2:38 of the third round.
Aldana, a 22-year-old from Garden City, Kansas, improved to 4-0 with his fourth knockout.
Lee, a 33-year-old from Joplin, Missouri, was making his pro debut.
Deontay Wilder vs. Tyrrell Herndon fight card
Deontay Wilder (43-4-1) vs. Tyrrell Herndon (24-5)
Deon Nicholson (21-1) vs. Devonte Williams (13-1)
Nico Hernandez (11-0) vs. Robert Ledesma (3-14-1)
Gustavo Trujillo (7-0) vs. Lateef Kayode (22-5)
Jeff Page Jr. (18-3) vs. Aaron Casper (8-11-2)
Jorge Carlos (9-0) vs. Jay Krupp (18-10)
John Cantrell (13-0) vs. Franklin Sparks (4-4)
Joshua Richey (debut) vs. Chancey Wilson (debut)
Eric Valencia (3-0) vs. Willie Harris (0-1)
Kayla Williams (1-1) vs. Helen Lucero (0-4)
Miguel Noah Aldana (3-0) vs. General Lee (debut)
Deontay Wilder vs. Tyrrell Herndon fight odds
All odds are for moneyline bets as of evening of Friday, June 27, according to BetMGM.
Deontay Wilder (-1600) vs. Tyrrell Herndon (+700)
Tie: (+2500)
Deontay Wilder vs. Tyrrell Herndon predictions
Sporting News: Wilder via KO
Daniel Yanofsky writes, ‘As we have seen through his career, Wilder can take damage. Recently, he hasn’t been able to take shots from the best boxing has to offer. However, he only needs one punch to take an opponent out. If Wilder can’t get the win, it’s an indication of where he is in his career. He doesn’t need to be his best. The 39-year-old just needs to throw like a madman with everything to lose. Don’t count out an upset, but if he still has that pop, Wilder should finish things off in the early rounds.’
CBS Sports: Deontay Wilder via KO1
Brent Brookhouse writes, ‘Wilder doesn’t need to be at his best to beat a fighter like Herndon, he just needs to throw punches. The biggest concerns for Wilder are that he didn’t throw nearly enough punches in his two most recent outings and that he has suffered some big knockdowns and knockouts over his past five fights. Those are probably concerns that come into play against a better opponent than Herndon.’
Deontay Wilder vs. Tyrrell Herndon price
The full card for the Deontay Wilder vs. Tyrrell Herndon will be shown on BLK Prime pay-per-view for $24.99.
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