Popular martial arts columnist, former commentator and boxing coach Teddy Atlas in the latest edition of The FIGHT with Teddy Atlas podcast
commented the return match of the former heavyweight champion (over 90.7 kg) from the USA Deontay Wilder (43-2-1, 42 KOs) against the Finn Robert Helenius (31-4, 19 KOs).
The boxing expert expressed his opinion on the change in Wilder’s weight in two extreme fights, in which the difference in weight was almost 11 kg, and also spoke about the positive changes in his technique.
On October 15, Wilder knocked out Helenius in the first round.
“Before the fight, I tweeted that there was a reason Wilder’s people chose Helenius as the opponent for the comeback fight, after being mentally and physically smashed. I tweeted and three minutes later you saw why. The fighter was knocked out. Wilder. Let’s get it straight. Helenius is 38. Everyone exploded – Wilder knocked out a fighter! He did it. It was important. But for me it was important how he did it. Helenius was knocked out earlier from lesser punchers than Wilder. He was knocked out twice. He lost most of the top level fights, but he was in the ring with good fighters.”
“Wilder hired a new trainer for the third fight with Fury and showed no difference. He showed little difference here. Malik Scott was a heavyweight. He was a careful, defensive fighter. “He’s trying to instill something in Wilder. Something that he doesn’t have. Defense when his whole life in the ring was all about attack. He beat the guy, he got knocked out – and that’s it.”
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“But there’s a lot more interesting stuff here than a knockout in a minute. No one talks about it. Why was Wilder 108 kg in the last fight? Maybe he was on a mass-gaining program. He bloated. I think it hurt him. “He was so big, so bloated, he was like Hercules. He couldn’t move and got tired quickly. His muscles couldn’t get enough oxygen. But he did it for a reason. I always say that 75% of boxing is psychology. Before the trilogy fight with Fury, he was worried. He doubted himself. And why not doubt, because you got knocked out. He was looking for something. He thought: Fury is too big for me, so I need to get bigger. If I get better, I’ll be safer. I need something that will give me confidence. I need to get bigger.” In the end, he didn’t get better, he got bigger. He was tired, his muscles weren’t getting enough oxygen because he was too bloated. And still he was knocked out.”
“Sometimes you realize that you were wrong. He realized that it didn’t help him. The strength should come from him, not from gaining mass, not from his chatter and everything that he did before. This is not what gives you strength. To some extent, this is vulnerability.Because you are now meeting with someone who you should meet yourself, one on one.To meet without 17 kg of muscles.I’m not saying that you cannot help yourself in these moments, but in the end , the best help you can get is to know who you are.To know that you depend on yourself, that you can like yourself, that you can trust yourself and believe in yourself.Not the guy you created with 17 kg muscles. It’s not you! You need to find yourself. I think he came back and found himself. In the end he said: “Okay, that didn’t work. I can’t aim for these things, can’t drive the wolves away from the door. I have to find the right door. A door that will open a room with the most powerful thing in the world – knowing yourself. Knowing what strength is. Strength is me. My conviction in what I do. My desire to do so. My ability to recover by doing this. It is my choice. I don’t need anything more.”
“He allowed himself to go back to 97 and just be Wilder. And get better at moments that really improve you technically. That punch that he knocked out is a good right straight, he couldn’t throw it in a trilogy fight with Fury. He was too bloated to do that. He couldn’t even move his legs like that because of the mass. He allowed himself to really get free. He got loose. I think he got free from the things that he thought kept wolves away from the door. – muscles, bravado… From things that ease fears or doubts. No. They will always be. You will not ease them. You will accept them. He said: “Come on, fear! Let’s! I am ready!” I am ready to meet him. yourself. My power is me.” And I think he found that power. I think he found peace.”
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“This time he was very different, much better. And when you become better in these aspects, you become a stronger person. Because other things are a mistake, it is not you. They are temporary – trying to be nasty and everything else. Real strength is being yourself. I think he found himself.”
“I know I’ve gone too deep, but I’ve been in this business all my life. I understand what it’s like to fight. You need to understand that we are not fighting with others, but with ourselves. That we must overcome ourselves in order to be able to fight correctly fight in a fight. Act like a champion. This is the best version of Wilder and I like it. And on the technical side of things, as I said, in the past he trained under the right. That’s where his thunderbolt, Thor’s hammer. He realized what he had planned, just coming out and throwing (punches) until it hits.Or he used a jab to blind and then caught with a right.This time he used his legs.He was mobile, fast, deftly moving around the ring, and he prepared the blow also with his mind. Because he made him chase, made him forget something that must not be forgotten – about the danger in the ring.”
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“We’ll see where Wilder goes after that. Because now we don’t want to see him with Helenius anymore. Now we want to see what that really means? “Does that mean now when he fights real players? Will he carry that over to his next fight with his new trainer Malik Scott. Will we see more change, more progress in some areas. Will we see more?”
