– Cape Town This weekend in New York, former heavyweight champion and boxing’s greatest one-punch puncher Deontay Wilder returns for his first fight in over a year.
The American Wilder’s fight against the dangerous Robert Helenius will be shown live on SuperSport TV, beginning at 3am on Sunday (SS Action and Max2). Additionally, the event will be live-streamed on Showmax.
In 2018, Wilder was on a brutal knockout streak until he met Tyson Fury. This legendary bout ended in a draw, but Wilder’s later bouts with the Briton resulted in two devastating knockout losses.
Instead of retiring, he went away and made the tweaks he believes will help him reclaim a version of the heavyweight belt.
This battle is really a title eliminator for Fury, therefore the outcome is crucial.
Helenius, from Finland, was on the outside until two unexpected stoppage victories against challenger Adam Kownacki, both at this weekend’s site, the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Big and ungainly, he could be a good test for Wilder, especially because nobody knows what the American’s mental state is after Fury shredded him so viciously.
Rarely has there been much bad blood in the buildup. This is likely due to the fact that Wilder and Helenius are not only acquaintances, but also engage in regular combat. Sparring is a far cry from the real thing, but Helenius will have a decent sense of the power Wilder has and will likely approach this intriguing 12-round bout with caution.
Super middleweight contenders Caleb Plant and Anthony Dirrell will engage in a 12-round combat, and heavyweight contenders Frank Sanchez and Carlos Negron are expected to engage in a 10-round brawl.