Deontay Wilder was concerned for Robert Helenius after delivering a brutal first-round knockout blow.
The Bronze Bomber was making a comeback after losing his WBC belt to Tyson Fury at the start of last year in a trilogy rematch where he lost twice and drew the opening clash.
There was speculation that he would walk away from the sport, with the 35-year-old admitting he came close to bringing the curtain down on his career before a change of heart saw him set up an October clash with his Scandinavian opponent.
Wilder and Helenius have sparred in the past and their rivalry in the run-up was more professional than bitter, and speaking after the fight, the American expressed sympathy for his beaten opponent.
Wilder said at the press conference: “My heart goes out to him and I hope he’s doing okay and he’ll be able to go back to his family…
“People always go on about records and all this.
“They said, ‘Oh he lost, oh he’s a bum,’ and all that. Well you get your bum ass in there then…
“Yeah it’s a great knockout, it’s devastating, but how much is that man gonna suffer?
“And we’ve seen what happened. Look at Colon, Prichard Colon.
“This man didn’t have no kids...“
Colon suffered severe brain damage during a fight in 2015.
Wilder added: “Y’all don’t f—ing understand what we go through man.
“And I don’t even know him like that, but I’ll always be an advocate for us.
“This man will never know what it feels like to be somebody’s father and that’s the most precious thing in the world to be somebody’s father.
“But he’ll never be nobody’s father, man.
“This man will never have a natural living again because he got in the ring to support his family.
“Now his family have got to take care of him for the rest of his life.”