Deontay Wilder Vs. Tyrrell Herndon Breakdown

Deontay Wilder takes on Tyrrell Herndon on June 27, we look at how the fight could play out. 

Wilder enters into the bout with a knockout loss to Zhilei Zhang. The defeat was Wilder’s second on the bounce after the Joseph Parker defeat. His last win dates back to 2022. Wilder has remained loyal to his trainer, Malik Scott, while also ruling out any suggestions that he will retire. Wilder still desires to secure an Anthony Joshua bout, meaning it is vital he comes out with a win. 

Herndon is on a three-fight win streak. Victories against Daniel Gonzalez, Miree Coleman and Rudy Silvas were the perfect response after the Richard Torrez Jr. loss, which ended his nine-fight win streak. Herndon is a massive underdog, but given Wilder’s poor run of form, there is no better time to secure that win. 

Breakdown

Wilder still possesses the one-punch knockout power, as the Helenius win showed. While it has been three years since his last knockout, Wilder said he was suffering from an arm injury, which by all accounts has now cleared up. Wilder has the reach advantage with 83 inches, compared to Herndon’s reported 74.8 inches. That will allow Wilder to keep his man on the outside and punish him once he gets in range.

While Wilder has more experience, his inactivity could hinder him. Wilder has only had three fights since 2021, as the three Fury fights took a lot out of him. Wilder faces the pressure to perform, given he is expected to win to keep the hopes of a Joshua fight alive. He will have to be patient, not go recklessly looking for the knockout, which saw him getting stopped in the Zhang fight. Wilder will need to establish his jab, pick his shots and target the body before going upstairs with the right hand.  

Herndon is known for being a durable fighter. From his 29 fights, he has gone the distance on nine occasions. He has also been much more active than Wilder, having boxed five times since 2023. He has 15 KOs from his 24 wins, showing he can pack a punch. However, this is his biggest fight.

Herndon does not possess the same knockout power as Wilder. He has been stopped on four occasions in his five defeats, as he is susceptible to a knockout. Herndon will need to survive early on, move around and tie up Wilder when he can. He will need to counter Wilder and take the fight to the later rounds to try and snatch a decision.