By Robert Segal: Deontay Wilder could lose his comeback fight next month against Robert Helenius in their Oct. 15 headliner on FOX Sports pay-per-view, says promoter Eddie Hearn.
While Hearn sees former WBC heavyweight champion Wilder (42-2-1, 41 KOs) as the favorite against the 6’6″ Helenius (31-3, 20 KOs), he has no confidence in boxing ability. from ‘The Bronze Bomber.
Wilder’s three fights against Tyson Fury have undoubtedly changed Hearn’s perception of his ability, so now he doesn’t know what to expect from him in his fight against heavy hitter Helenius.
It would have been a good idea for Wilder to have returned to the ring against a less formidable foe than Helenius, considering he is coming off a year off and back-to-back losses against Fury.
Wilder hasn’t won a fight in three years since his victory over Luis Ortiz in 2019. Ortiz had won the first six rounds before Wilder caught him with a big punch in the seventh to knock him out.
“It’s a good fight. We have had Helenius. Derek Chisora beat Helenius very easily. Dillian Whyte won every round against Helenius,” Eddie Hearn told Fight Hub TV about Deontay Wilder’s upcoming fight against Robert Helenius on October 15.
“His two wins against Adam Kownacki probably glorified him a little bit. You’ve seen that it looks like Adam is at the end of his career now, but he still put up with some fire there.
“Robert Helenius is a huge man. He is 6’7” or whatever. He gets hit a bit. I think he can capitulate under pressure. Anyone would under the power of Deontay Wilder.
“I see Wilder as the favorite going into the fight, but it’s definitely a fight he can lose because I’m still not sold on Deontay Wilder in terms of his boxing ability in general, but he’s a great puncher,” Hearn said.
Wilder’s recent weight loss and work on his cardio could improve him enough to wake up Helenius in the early rounds on October 15 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Before Wilder made a lot of weight in his last two fights against Fury, he had been dangerous and his conditioning was top-notch.
“It’s very exciting and brilliant for the heavyweight division. I hope he wins, but that’s a winnable fight for Robert Helenius,” Hearn said.
