Before the fight began, Deontay Wilder stated he would end Dominic Breazeale once they face off. His prediction became a hard reality, as Wilder knocked out Breazeale in round one to retain his WBC World Heavyweight Championship.
A sold-out Barclays Center in Brooklyn was in shock as Wilder’s glove connected onto the face of Breazeale. Prior to the bout, Wilder (41-0-1) came to the ring ready to put on a show, literally and figuratively.
King Walk 👑@BronzeBomber | #WilderBreazeale pic.twitter.com/MxSJr54Rg5
— SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) May 19, 2019
Both fighters almost didn’t shake hands before the bell rang, showing the animosity between the two. As the bell rang, both fighters looked at one another as intently as possible. Wilder made the first move, pushing Breazeale (20-2) back towards the ropes, his reach advantage a given. Wilder was throwing wildly, attempting multiple uppercuts and body shots.
Towards the middle of the round Breazeale tried to come close with Wilder, landing shots behind the head. Wilder shrugged it off and landed hard combination shots to the body of Dominic. Wilder then landed hard head shots before backing Breazeale up once again. At 2:17 into the round Wilder landed a short left before knocking Breazeale down with a hard right. Dominic could not respond, resulting in another knockout win for Wilder.
ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED.@BronzeBomber banks a Round 1 KO against @TroubleBoxing.#WilderBreazeale pic.twitter.com/dtmcsVFqQh
— SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) May 19, 2019
Wilder landed nine punches out of 35 thrown, while Breazeale landed only two out of ten. The Barclays Center crowd cheered on Wilder as the chaos unfolded.
The Wilder v. Breazeale undercard also saw Gary Russell Jr. successfully defend his WBC Featherweight Championship against Kiko Martinez. Russell dominated the entire bout, eventually landing a shot that cut Martinez above the eye. The referee ended up waving off the bout, calling it a TKO with 2:52 into round five.
Before those two bouts, Juan Heraldez and Argenis Mendez fought to a majority decision draw.
WBC Heavyweight Championship: (c.) Deontay Wilder def. Dominic Breazeale via round one knockout (2:17 into round one)
WBC Featherweight Championship: (c.) Gary Russell Jr. def. Kiko Martinez via referee stoppage by way of TKO (2:52 into round five)
Juan Heraldez and Argenis Mendez fought to a majority decision draw (97-93, 95-95, 95-95)