Hearn: I Expect Wilder To Win, But It’s Winnable Fight For Helenius

Deontay Wilder was apparently at the top of the boxing world just a few short years ago. With ten successful defenses of his WBC heavyweight title, the Alabama native began to move in thin air.

Yet even with Wilder setting countless records and widely regarded as one of the deadliest punchers in boxing history, Eddie Hearn simply doesn’t believe in his total package.

“I’m still not sold on Deontay Wilder in terms of his boxing ability in general,” Hearn said during a recent interview with Fight Hub TV. “But he’s a tremendous puncher, he’s very exciting, he’s brilliant for the heavyweight division.”

In an attempt to increase his dominance of the heavyweight landscape, Wilder (42-2-1, 41 KOs) sought to add Tyson Fury’s name to his ledger. However, despite Wilder and Fury meeting in three separate instances, the former Olympic bronze medalist came up short on all three occasions.

Following his latest loss, Wilder admitted he was contemplating retiring. However, after taking almost a year away from the sport to recharge his batteries, the 36-year-old feels like a new man.

In his first in-ring appearance since facing Fury, Wilder will face Robert Helenius at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on October 15. Though he failed to produce at the highest level, the 38-year-old upstart contender posted back-to-back wins over Adam Kownacki.

While initially impressive, Hearn thinks Helenius (31-3, 20 KOs) is a bit of a stretch in terms of his current stature. But, as the Sweden native continues to speed things up during training camp, Hearn isn’t completely ruling out Helenius’s chances for victory. In fact, according to Hearn, Helenius, considering his 6-foot-6 frame, will have plenty of opportunities to get the biggest win of his career.

“Kownacki’s wins probably glorified him a little bit. It seems that Adam is at the end of his career now, but he still took some fire there. Robert Helenius is a huge man. He thinks he can capitulate under pressure and anyone would under the power of Deontay Wilder. I expect him to win, but that is a winnable fight for Robert Helenius.”