Deontay Wilder Knocks Out Dominic Breazeale in First Round to Retain WBC Heavyweight Title

Deontay Wilder and Dominic Breazeale faced off for the WBC world heavyweight championship on Saturday, May 18.

Deontay Wilder (41-0-1, 39 KOs) defended his WBC world heavyweight championship against Dominic Breazeale (20-2, 18 KOs) inside Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Saturday.

It was Wilder's first match since he fought Tyson Fury to a draw on Dec. 1. In the lead up to the bout with Breazeale, Wilder told reporters, "This is the only sport where you can kill a man and get paid for it at the same time. It's legal. So why not use my right to do so?"

WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman said those comments were "completely against the spirit of our sport."

In Saturday's match, Wilder didn't actually kill Breazeale, but he did dispatch of him in quick work. Wilder knocked out Breazeale in the first round.

ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED.@BronzeBomber banks a Round 1 KO against @TroubleBoxing.#WilderBreazeale pic.twitter.com/dtmcsVFqQh

— All the Smoke Boxing (@atsboxing) May 19, 2019

.@BronzeBomber talks through his KO of Breazeale with Jim Gray. #WilderBreazeale pic.twitter.com/q8StwOfOPJ

— All the Smoke Boxing (@atsboxing) May 19, 2019

This was the still-undefeated champion's ninth consecutive win by knockout.