Age Finnish heavyweight Robert Helenius (31-3, 20 KOs) was finally written off in 2019 after an early loss to the American middle peasant Gerald Washington, but the veteran sensationally beat the Polish aggressor Adam Kownacki twice in a row (bout # 1 and fight # 2) and even returned into the title race – the fight was a qualifying one.
On October 15, in Brooklyn (New York, USA), Helenius will fight with former WBC champion American puncher Deontay Wilder (42-2-1, 41 KOs). On the eve of the fight, the veteran talked about his chances and shared his opinion on the situation in the division.
“I think I should box more aggressively with Wilder,”
considers the underdog. – Must press, but always be on the alert. It is important to have time to respond to all his attacks. In this component I have to be better than ever before. I’ll need a solid amount of stamina to keep my concentration the full 12 rounds. It will be very difficult, because he is definitely not some kind of passer. This is a top fighter who has proven it in action.”
Wilder and Helenius previously sparred and even became friends. The European says: “At first I was not even enthusiastic about this idea, because we worked well together, talked a lot, realized that we think alike in many issues and all that. But this is a sport. You need to be able to cope with emotions, especially in such fights. Will it affect? It is unlikely that I have enough experience, I have had many ups and downs in my career. It was a very solid and long run. I will give this sport everything I have. I feel like I have enough for a couple more years. I accepted this fight because I always dreamed of a championship belt. And I will do everything to become a champion.”
On the rematch (for WBA Super, IBF, WBO titles) between Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua: “Good fight. Joshua was much better than I expected. So he’s really good at picking up on mistakes and fixing them. He adapts very well to the situation. But despite this, Usyk still won, because he still moved, and his blows were more accurate. All in all, a good fight. I would like to fight Usyk, because he is a champion, and also a very good fighter and a southpaw who beat Joshua twice in a row. I believe that I could beat Usyk.”
On a possible comeback for (WBC Champion) Tyson Fury: “I think he’s still in business. Of course, I would immediately take a fight with him. I hope that all of them – Usyk, Fury and Joshua – continue to box and help bring back greatness to boxing.”
Earlier, Mikey Garcia shared his reaction to the situation in the heavyweight. And Wilder himself threatens to box “up to 40 years old and hold 3 fights a year.”
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