By Vince D’Writer: Former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder (42-2-1, 41 KOs), is in the process of finalizing a deal to make his return to the ring on October 15 to face Robert Helenius at the Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, live on Fox pay-per-view.
The last time Wilder was in the ring, he suffered an eleventh round TKO loss in the third installment of the trilogy against his arch rival Tyson Fury. The first Fury vs Wilder encounter ended in a draw, and in the final two bouts, The Bronze Bomber suffered back-to-back losses. Ten months later, Wilder is ready to get back in the mix and journey down the road to redemption.
Wilder’s first test will come against Robert Helenius, (31-3, 20 KOs). A native of Stockholm, Sweden, Helenius is currently riding a three fight win streak, and he holds notable wins over former heavyweight champions Lamon Brewster, Samuel Peter, and Siarhei Liakhovich. With that being said, the 38-year-old Helenius will still enter this fight as a huge underdog.
When Wilder meets Helenius in the ring, it will be the first time Wilder has stepped inside of the ring with someone other than Tyson Fury since he knocked out Luis Ortiz back in November 2019. The expectation of this fight is Wilder collecting his forty-third career victory, and moving on to the next phase. If we look ahead and view the heavyweight landscape, the million dollar question is, will the champion or any of the top heavyweight contenders have a shot at beating Deontay Wilder?
Tyson Fury was able to defeat Wilder twice, but Fury is an excellent boxer and he held all of the physical advantages. Wilder is a tall heavyweight as he stands at a height of 6’7, but Fury is 6’9 with a two inch reach advantage, and a significant weight advantage. If you match Wilder up with the current top heavyweights in the division, none of them possess all of these advantages.
Perhaps the main asset Tyson Fury has that these other heavyweights may not possess is the ability to survive a Deontay Wilder right cross. In the first fight of the trilogy, Wilder knocked Fury down on two separate occasions, but Fury was able to survive and box his way to a draw. In the third fight, Wilder knocked Fury down twice in the fourth round, but once again Fury was able to recuperate, and knock Wilder out in the eleventh round.
Many have questioned Wilder’s boxing skills, and make an argument in regards to the top heavyweights outboxing him, but the problem is the fact that eventually Wilder will touch the opposition with his right hand. How will the opponent respond? For example in March 2018 Luis Ortiz flourished against Deontay Wilder, and was able to thrive by outboxing Wilder, but he was knocked out in the tenth round. A year later Ortiz experienced repeat success outboxing Wilder, but once again Ortiz was knocked out, this time in the seventh round.
Current unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk and top heavyweight contenders Anthony Joshua and Andy Ruiz Jr, all pose problems for Wilder in different ways, but to beat Wilder you have to survive his right hand. Can any of these talented heavyweights survive The Bronze Bomber’s right hand? On October 15, a week prior to his 37th birthday, Deontay Wilder will resume his boxing career and begin his quest to become a two-time heavyweight champion. In the sport of boxing they say the skills pay the bills, but Wilder’s right cross is the ultimate equalizer.