Promoter Frank Warren says Deontay ‘Bronze Bomber’ Wilder (42-2-1, 41 KOs) will return to action in October against heavyweight Robert ‘The Nordic Nightmare’ Helenius (31-3, 20 KOs) in the States.
This would be the first action for former WBC champion Wilder, 36, since his loss to Tyson ‘The Gypsy King’ Wilder last October. After that loss, Wilder said he wanted to consider whether to continue his career.
It looks like Wilder has decided to continue, which is good because he can make massive money fighting Anthony Joshua or Oleksander Usyk.
Helenius isn’t the type of fighter you would typically want to face if you’re coming off a knockout loss like the one Wilder suffered against Fury.
For Wilder to be taking on the powerful 6’6″ Finnish heavyweight Helenius in his next fight, he wants to send a message that he wants to fight the winner of the Oleksandr Usyk vs. Anthony Joshua II rematch.
There’s a lot of risk for Deontay to be fighting Helenius, as he’s looked good in his last three fights, beating Adam Kownacki twice and Mateus Roberto Osorio by knockout.
If Wilder gets hit hard by Kownacki in the early going, he could fold up as he did in his last fight against Fury in the 11th round.
“Deontay is fighting in October; he’s coming back, and they’re talking about him fighting [Helenius], and that’ll be in the States,” said Frank Warren to talkSPORT Boxing about Deontay Wilder’s next fight.
“I’d love to do that fight, but he’s [Deontay] coming off a bad knockout. There’s no doubt about that was a bad knockout against Tyson Fury, who was a tough fight for him,” said Warren.
Helenius’ best wins:Adam Kownacki x 2
Erkan Teper
Derek Chisora
Lamon Brewster
Samuel Peter
Siarhei Liakhovich
It would be interesting if Wilder is the one that battles the Usyk-Joshua 2 winner rather than Fury, given that ‘The Gypsy King’ has retired from the sport. Fury says he doesn’t want to fight anymore because of the potential for injury.
Wilder needs a highlight reel knockout of Helenius to put himself in the equation to fight the Joshua vs. Usyk II winner.
If Wilder can destroy Helenius in the first half of the fight, it would show the boxing world that he’s back and not the depleted fighter we saw lose twice to Fury.
The 2008 Olympic bronze medalist Wilder has made a lot of money in his 14-year professional career, and it’s questionable whether he still has the hunger needed to beat the top-rung heavyweights in the division like Usyk & Joshua.
I would mention Fury, but he says he’s retired, so I’ll take him at his word. Fightersneeds to live poor, even if they have tons of money. If they live poor, they’ll keep the hunger they had before they made the millions and extend their careers.