Deontay Wilder broke down in tears when discussing ex-fighter Pritchard Colon who was left in a permanent vegetative state after a boxing fight in 2015.
The 'Bronze Bomber' made his long-awaited return to the ring this weekend against Robert Helenius for the first time since losing his brutal trilogy bout with Tyson Fury last year. And Wilder once again showed why he is viewed as one of the leading heavyweights in the current crop of talent, dispatching of the Finnish star with one round using his trademark devastating right hand to close the show.
Despite showing huge happiness after making his comeback, Wilder did have to make a difficult decision on whether to remain competing following his damaging defeat last time out. And the 36-year-old made an emotional assessment of fighters reasons for stepping in the ring, while paying tribute to former super-welterweight Colon.
"We've seen what happens, look at Colon," Wilder said at the post-fight press conference before bursting into tears on stage in front of the media. "How he got hit, this man didn't have any kids. They don't understand. You all don't f******* understand what we go through, man. And I don't even know him like that, but I will always be an advocate for us. Because this man will never know what it's like to be somebody's father.
"And that's one of the most precious things in the world, to be somebody's father. But he will never be nobody's father, man. Because he got in the ring to support his family but now, his family got to take care of him for the rest of his life. He was probably the bread winner in his family and now they're looking and seeking for help and s*** like that.
"I could say so much about it, man. That's why you can't play this, this is serious. We don't know if Robert is going to be the same after this. I just did a job. I'm great at what I do but I don't mean to take people away from the lifestyle they're living. I'm just trying to support my family as well."
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Colon was considered a bright prospect before tragedy struck in his career back in 2015 during a brutal defeat to Terrel Williams. The American star went into a coma for 221 days following the fight after a damaging loss and is now left in a permanent vegetative state, which now sees him largely confined to a bed and requiring a wheelchair to move.
Wilder faced a difficult tussle over a decision whether to hang up his gloves following his defeat to Fury which saw him knocked down three times across the eleven rounds of action. However, he has now made his comeback and will be eyeing a series of big fights next including a shot at Oleksandr Usyk and a meeting with stablemate Andy Ruiz Jr.
