Deontay Wilder made a winning return to the ring and claimed his first victory since 2022 after completing a dominant seventh-round TKO of Tyrrell Herndon in Kansas.

Wilder (44-4-1, 43 KOs) had been beaten in four of his previous five encounters, including back-to-back losses against Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang, although he ended that run at the Charles Koch Arena.

‘The Bronze Bomber’ scored an unconvincing knockdown in the second when an off-balance Herndon was caught by a left hook, with Wilder on top in the early rounds despite not hurting his opponent with his scoring shots.

Wilder changed pace in the sixth, with a string of shots against the ropes forcing a second knockdown, although Herndon survived the round to extend the contest.

Herndon was eventually stopped by the referee in the final minute of the seventh round, having taken two clean right hands in quick succession from Wilder and showing little sign of finding his way back into the contest.

“It felt great,” Wilder said after the fight. “I was laid up a long time getting myself back together, and it’s been a long road for me. I’m just glad to be back in the ring, you know. This is a new beginning for me.”

Could Wilder face Joshua?

Among the future possible fights for Wilder is a long-awaited showdown with Anthony Joshua, the pair having previously come close to meeting at various points during their careers.

Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn recently told Sky Sports: “I know he’s [Wilder] a name that’s been mentioned.

“There is a potential that AJ could fight Deontay Wilder in October, November, December, and then fight Tyson Fury, and then he’s kind of got the full set in terms of every elite heavyweight of this generation, he’s faced in the ring.”

Wilder’s co-manager Shelly Finkel told Sky Sports ahead of Friday’s victory: “First things first is Friday. If that goes well, we’re open to discussing anything.”

Wilder said after his victory: “We’ve got a plan that we have set for this whole year and we’re going to stick with it. We’re getting a lot of calls and in the heavyweight division you’re always one fight away from a title fight. We want to take our time and we’re going to do that with the return.”