Deontay Wilder (42-2-1, 41 KO) will return to action later tonight on Premier Boxing Championship from Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., as the former WBC heavyweight champion matches up against Robert Helenius (31-3, 20 KO) for his first boxing match in one year.
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Despite coming off back-to-back knockout losses at the hands of former heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury, Wilder is still a massive favorite to take out Helenius in his return to the ring. Wilder last competed in Oct. 2021 in his trilogy bout with “Gypsy King” and ended up going down in the 11th round.
Fresh off a lengthy break from action, “Bronze Bomber” will look to remind boxing fans of his dominance later tonight against Helenius. We’ve compiled all the ways to watch below so you don’t miss one second of action.
Start Time
Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022, from inside Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York
Main card begins at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT
“Prelims” card begins at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT
Live Stream: https://cutt.ly/LBSdESE
As relaxed as Deontay Wilder will feel within the comfortable confines of Barclays Center when he walks to the ring to fight Finland’s Robert Robert Helenius, he will simultaneously enter unfamiliar territory.
Deontay Wilder will fight for the first time since Tyson Fury viciously knocked him out in the 11th round of their third title fight last October 9 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The 6-foot-7 Deontay Wilder figures to be every bit the pulverizing puncher he has always been, but his fight with Robert Helenius will mostly amount to learning whether Deontay Wilder can overcome the psychological and physical hurdles caused by such a crushing knockout loss.
Unlike his seventh-round, technical-knockout defeat to Fury in their rematch in February 2020, Deontay Wilder (42-2-1, 41 KOs) has had to accept an indisputable, devastating defeat to his British nemesis in their third fight. Similar to Mike Tyson 30-plus years ago, Deontay Wilder, who was accustomed to knocking out opponents, also must overcome the loss of his aura of invincibility.
An ever-confident Deontay Wilder, who will turn 37 on October 22, has less wear and tear on his body than most boxers his age because he didn’t try this inherently dangerous sport until he was 20 years old and had only ** amateur fights. But that third Fury fight was grueling and presumably took something out of both boxers.
Fury (32-0-1, 23 KOs) responded positively to their unforgettable slugfest, in which Deontay Wilder dropped him twice during the fourth round, by knocking out Dillian Whyte in the sixth round of his following fight April 23 at Wembley Stadium in London. Oddsmakers have installed Deontay Wilder as an 8-1 favorite to accomplish something similar versus Robert Helenius.
“You can always expect nothing but the best from me,” Deontay Wilder said during an open workout Wednesday at Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn. “You know, I don’t get paid for overtime. So, I’ve been known for the knockouts. I’m gonna end my career with getting the knockouts. I put my life on the line each and every time. And with that being said, I’m gonna go out with a bang.”
Deontay Wilder seemingly should knock out Robert Helenius (31-3, 20 KOs), a former sparring partner who was stopped by Gerald Washington (20-5-1, 13 KOs) in the eighth round of a July 2019 bout at The Armory in Minneapolis.
Robert Helenius has considerable power as well and remarkable resilience, as “The Nordic Nightmare” demonstrated early in the first of his back-to-back stoppages of Brooklyn’s Adam Kownacki (20-3, 15 KOs), which helped him secure this high-profile fight with Deontay Wilder. The 38-year-old contender mostly is a stationary target, though, who Deontay Wilder should be able to hit consistently.
Robert Helenius still should at least help us learn how Deontay Wilder will react when a big, strong opponent connects clean on his chin. We haven’t seen that happen since Fury emphatically knocked Deontay Wilder out with a crushing right hand a year ago at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
“I don’t tend to think in those terms because this is a completely new fight,” Robert Helenius said during the aforementioned open workout. “He has [had] one year to recover from that. Of course, people can change after fights, but I think he’s a warrior and it’s gonna be a spectacular fight.”
Robert Helenius and Deontay Wilder will headline a FOX Sports Pay-Per-View show scheduled to start at 9 p.m. ET. FOX’s four-fight telecast will cost consumers $74.99 – unfortunate for fans who want to support this sport, yet an economic necessity based on the respective seven-figure guarantees for Deontay Wilder and Robert Helenius.
Deontay Wilder wants this fight to mark a memorable beginning to what he has repeatedly promised recently will be his final three-year run in boxing, which could include several more high-profile fights. A refreshed Deontay Wilder will have to prove, however, that, even within the comfortable confines of his favorite venue, he can handle unfamiliar territory.
