Liakhovich-Helenius battle it out on 8/27, winner hopes to fight one of the Klitschkos

August 18th, 2011

By Jason Kim: Former WBO heavyweight champion Sergei Liakhovich hopes to resurrect his sagging career on August 27th against unbeaten heavyweight contender Robert Helenius in Efurt, Germany.

Liakhovich’s career has been in a state of free fall since he lost his World Boxing Organization title against Shannon Briggs in 2006. It’s unclear what happened with Liakhovich, because he seemed to fall apart after that loss and has rarely fought since.

In making his comeback, Liakhovich couldn’t have picked a tougher opponent. The 6’6” Helenius may be as good as No.3 behind Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko in the division. It’s still a little early to tell how good Helenius is but if his recent win over Samuel Peter is any indication this is the real thing.

Liakhovich needs to be very concerned for this fight, because Helenius does a lot of the same things that the Klitschkos do. He’s got a great jab, left hook and right hand. And Helenius’ 1-2 combination is devastating.

When he’s not tagging you with the left-fight combo, he likes to come in with a right hand after a stiff jab. It’s hard to see and nearly impossible to defend because of the leverage he gets on his shots.

What’s unclear is how good of an inside fighter Helenius. He’s good at backing away when his opponents try to get in close, but that’s an area that Liakhovich really needs to explore if he wants to get a win in this fight.

Helenius needs a win here to keep him in the position to get a fight with Wladimir and or Vitali. If he looks good in taking out Liakhovich, he could put a lot of pressure on the Klitschkos to make this fight happen. It may take some pressure to make the fight because neither of the Klitschkos is eager to mix it up with him right now.

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