By Brian Webber: Former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder and Robert Helenius reportedly have a fight in the works for October 15th at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Boxingscene is reporting the news of the Wilder vs. Helenius fight as a possibility for October 15th. If the bout gets made, this will be the 36-year-old Wilder’s first action since his eleventh-round knockout loss to Tyson Fury in their trilogy clash in October 2021.
Wilder is taking a big risk by facing the heavy-handed #2 WBA ‘Nordic Nightmare’ Helenius (31-3, 20 KOs) because this guy has the size and power to spark the ‘Bronze Bomber.’
If Wilder (42-2-1, 41 KOs) couldn’t handle the clubbing shots from the non-puncher Tyson Fury in their last two contests, Helenius is capable of doing more damage with his big shots.
The 6’6″ Helenius is coming off a sixth-round knockout win over Adam Kownacki last October in their rematch. In their previous fight, Helenius had stopped Kownacki in the fourth round in March 2020.
Deontay is being mentioned as a possible next opponent for Anthony Joshua should he lose his rematch with unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk on August 20th.
Deontay Wilder vs Robert Helenius is reportedly likely for Oct 15th at the Barclays Center in New York. [According to @BoxingScene]
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) August 10, 2022
With the money that Wilder can make fighting Joshua later this year, it doesn’t make a lot of sense for him to be fighting Helenius in his first fight back from a 12-month layoff. If Wilder loses, he can forget about a mega-payday fight against Joshua.
As it is, Wilder hasn’t won a fight in three years since stopping Luis Ortiz in the seventh round in November 2019. Given the long absence of Wilder since his last win, it would seem foolhardy for him to be taking on Helenius in his next fight.
Still, Wilder will impress the boxing world by taking on Helenius and beating him. Helenius can be hurt, as we saw in his knockout losses against former Wilder victims Gerald Washington and Johann Duhaupas.
Wilder’s best bet for beating Helenius is to get to him early before he’s gotten the chance to put hands on him. If Wilder can’t get to Helenius by the fourth or fifth round, it’s likely he’ll get knocked out.
