Former heavyweight titleholder Deontay Wilder returns to the ring against veteran Robert Helenius on pay-per-view Saturday in Brooklyn, New York.
DEONTAY WILDER (42-2-1, 41 KOs) VS. ROBERT HELENIUS (31-3, 20 KOs)
- Date: Saturday, Oct. 15
- Time: 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT
- Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York
- TV/Stream: Pay-per-view
- Cost: $74.99 (in U.S.)
- Division: Heavyweight (no limit)
- At stake: No major titles
- Pound-for-pound ranking: None
- Odds: Wilder 6-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
- Also on the card: Caleb Plant vs. Anthony Dirrell, super middleweights; Frank Sanchez vs. Carlos Negron, heavyweights; Gary Antonio Russell vs. Emmanuel Rodriguez, bantamweights; Michel Rivera vs. Jerry Perez, lightweights; Vito Mielnicki Jr. vs. Limberth Ponce, junior middleweights
- Prediction: Wilder KO 8
- Background: The last time we saw Wilder he gave a courageous effort in defeat in his third fight with Tyson Fury in October of last year, when Fury got up from two knockdowns to stop him in 11 rounds and end their series with a record of 2-0-1. The hardest puncher in the sport had been one of the longest reigning champions at any weight, holding the WBC heavyweight title from 2015 to his knockout loss to Fury in their second fight in 2020, a span of 12 fights. He now begins a new chapter of his career at 36 years old (37 on Oct. 22). Helenius is living proof that perseverance can pay off. The Finn battled through a nagging shoulder injury and several disappointing losses to climb back into title contention as a result of two sensational knockouts of once-hot young heavyweight Adam Kownacki in 2020 and on the Fury-Wilder card a year ago, which underscored his own prodigious punching power. Also on the card, super middleweight contender Caleb Plant (21-1, 12 KOs) will fight for the first time since he was stopped by Canelo Alvarez last November. Plant faces veteran Anthony Dirrell (34-2-2, 25 KOs).
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