At 38, Robert Helenius is ready to compete for heavyweight gold. He will get his wish if he can get past a former world champion in Deontay Wilder on October 15.
Helenius (31-3) faces Wilder (42-2-1) inside Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. The fight will be a WBC heavyweight title eliminator bout. Helenius has already qualified as a WBA title contender and will look to cement himself as a real threat in the division if he can beat Wilder.
Wilder is coming off of two losses against Tyson Fury. Competing in a trilogy with Fury, Wilder was knocked out by “The Gypsy King” back in October. Now, he faces “The Nordic Nightmare,” someone looking to show he still has what it takes to compete against the best in boxing.
“I’m a different fighter from [Tyson) Fury, so he [Wilder] is going to prepare differently… It has been a tough road. I have been boxing for 25 years, so I’m a veteran in the sport. I’ve had my ups and downs,” Helenius told Sky Sports. “I have had a lot of injuries on the way, but the last couple of years have been amazing, and a lot of good work’s been done. People are going to see that I’m not that old, that I have a couple of years in me still.”
The Sporting News looks into who exactly Wilder is fighting inside the Barclays Center, a place both have fought in before.
MORE: All you need to know about Wilder vs. Helenius
Who is Robert Helenius?
A 2006 silver medalist in the European Championships, Helenius, born in Sweden, made his pro debut in 2008.
Helenius is a former WBO and WBA Inter-Continental heavyweight champion and a European heavyweight champion. He beat Derek Chisora in 2011 for the European title. Before that, Helenius had three straight knockout wins over former champions Lamon Brewster, Samuel Peter, and Siarhei Liakhovich
In 2017, Helenius lost against Dillian Whyte for the WBC Silver International heavyweight title. Since then, he has gone 6-1. After losing to Gerald Washington in 2019, Helenius went on a three-fight win streak.
In the last major boxing bout, before the COVID-19 pandemic shut everything down in March 2020, Helenius beat Adam Kownacki via TKO in what was considered an upset. That was for the WBA Gold heavyweight title, and it took place inside the Barclays Center. The two competed in a rematch in October 2021. On the undercard of Fury vs. Wilder 3, Helenius beat him again via TKO.
Waiting for a shot at the gold, Helenius a patient fighter, will now face Wilder, a true knockout artist. It will be a battle of power and volume in Brooklyn.
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When is Deontay Wilder vs. Robert Helenius?
- Date: Saturday, October 15
- Main card: 9 p.m. ET | 2 a.m. BST | 11 a.m. AEST
- Main event: 12 a.m. ET | 5 a.m. BST | 2 p.m. AEST (approximate)
Wilder vs. Helenius takes place on October 15. The main card will start at 9 p.m. ET | 2 a.m. BST | 11 a.m. AEST. Wilder and Helenius should make their way to the ring around 12 a.m. ET | 5 a.m. BST | 2 p.m. AEST, depending on how long the undercard fights last.
How to watch Deontay Wilder vs. Robert Helenius?
- Fox Sports
- Traditional pay-per-view
- FITE.tv
- PPV.com
The Wilder vs. Helenius main card will air on Fox Sports PPV via Premier Boxing Champions. You can also view the fight via traditional PPV, FITE.tv, and PPV.com
You can use the Fox Sports app to watch the event. Viewers can stream through the Fox Sports app via Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV, Roku, Xbox ONE, a laptop, or any mobile or tablet device.
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Deontay Wilder vs. Robert Helenius PPV price: How much does the card cost?
The price of Wilder-Helenius will be the same as Andy Ruiz vs. Luis Ortiz: $74.99.
Wilder vs. Helenius fight card
- Deontay Wilder vs. Robert Helenius; WBC heavyweight title eliminator
- Caleb Planet vs. Anthony Dirrell; WBC super-middleweight title eliminator
- Frank Sanchez vs. Carlos Negron; Heavyweights
- Gary Antonio Russell vs. Emmanuel Rodriguez; Bantamweights
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