Deontay Wilder 214.5 vs. Robert Helenius 253.25
(WBC heavyweight eliminator)
Note: Wilder weighed 238 in his previous fight against Tyson Fury. Helenius weighed 246 in his last fight against Adam Kownacki. So Wilder is 23.5 pounds lighter and Helenius is 7.25 pounds heavier.
Caleb Plant 167.25 vs. Anthony Dirrel 167.75
(WBC super middleweight eliminator)
Gary Antonio Russell 116.5 vs. Emmanuel Rodríguez 117.75
(IBF bantamweight eliminator)
Frank Sánchez 247.75 vs. Carlos Negrón 244.5
Vito Mielnicki, Jr. 153.4 vs. Limberth Ponce 153.6
Michel Rivera 134.6 vs. Jerry Pérez 135
Gurgen Hovhannisyan 275.4 vs. Michael Coffie 297.6
Michael Angeletti 124.4 vs. Jeremy Adorno 125.8
Geovany Bruzón 230.2 vs. James Evans, Jr. 231.4
Keeshawn Williams 144 vs. Julio Rosa 141
Miguel Román 123.8 vs. José Negrete 122
Venue: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
Promoter: TGB Promotions
TV: PPV, FS2
Wilder should have been this light against Fury instead of bulking up. Maybe he would have not been so sluggish. Early KO for Wilder.
Yes, at the higher weight Wilder was the worst, slower, gassed out and did not have the snap in his right hand.
How would a 215 man hold up against Fury’s power and size? Not well. You drop 23 1/2 pounds, you’re giving up a LOT of strength. That likely won’t affect punching power, but if this fights goes deep and Helenius can lean on Wilder, it will cause problems. I don’t know if it’ll matter because I don’t think Helenius will be all that competitive, but there are other bigger fighters that could exploit that.
Excellent comment.
212½ Wilder weighed in the first Fury fight. He did far better, being able to move around, compared to 231 and 238 in the second and third fight.
And then Fury adjusted, came back heavier and dominated. He saw his size and strength was greater than Wilder and crafted his style to exploit that.
Sure, Fury did adjust, agree, but Wilder still went the wrong way in going heavier and made himself less mobile, slower and gas out so early and made for the worst Wilder ever. If Wilder still has something left after the beatings he took is the real question.
Punching power and strength are not the same thing. You do not need to be heavy to deliver a powerful punch. Mike Tyson was lighter than almost every opponent he faced in his prime, yet he was the hardest puncher in the division. his early days he never got above 220 lb.
Punching power and strength aren’t the same, but strength is still awfully important while fighting. Especially against big dudes who want to push you aren’t. A 260 pound guy pushes a 215 pound guy around every time. It doesn’t mean the lighter guy can’t win, but being that much lighter means you’re willing to accept that.
The first time Wilder fought Fury he weighed 209 pounds. He dropped Fury twice. Fury was heavier then than Helenius is now.
This card is
Can’t wait
Good card, but not $75 bucks good IMO!!
Interesting, and good imo, choice for Wlder to come in so light. I think it clearly shows that he has no intention to fight on the inside and just stay at range and bomb Helenius out.
The math is incorrect. If the listed weights are right, Wilder is 23.5 pounds lighter!
Not sure how lose 24 pounds of muscle in a short time ..that would mean he took steroids for fury fight
It wasn’t natural for him. He probably had to lift a lot of weights and eat a lot of food to get that high. He’s probably stopped doing that to that degree and it has been a year. I’m not nutritionist or a trainer, but I think that’s probably enough time to strip away 24lbs of excess weight – muscle or fat.
100% right he could lose that much. I lost 20kgs in a little over 4 months to have an amateur fight in Australia because it was always something that I wanted to do and I didn’t want to do it at Heavyweight haha. I didn’t take anything, just ate right and trained hard. Wilder in 1 for me.
Then you had fat to lose
Bit of both actually.
He ripped then and now ..no fat to lose..can’t put on 24 pounds of muscle in a year especially if boxing ..to lose it so quick is weird
not natural muscle you cant and not without help.
What about if he did the Andy Ruiz way on his fight with Fury, and he trained accordingly for this one?
He wasn’t fat for the fury fight ..to put on and then lose 24 pounds of muscle within 18 months is not possible
It’s been a year
Wilder reportedly did close to 500 rounds of training, sparring for this fight, that’s how.
That’s one hell of an assessment. Consuming less calories during your workouts when you already have a high metabolism wouldn’t be suffice right? I don’t know what I was thinking. Perhaps it was Fury who was dirty as he has been popped before.
Lmao! Well said Peter!
Put Wilder in that stupid Super Cruiserweight division the WBC wants to have.
Wilder in 1!
I expect Wilder to win but you never know with these heavyweight hitters.
Damn, Coffie @ 297?? He was a sitting duck @ 270 when he fought Rice. Was thinking this would have been a good test for Gurgen Hovhannisyan, but now I’m thinking not. Also, Negron used to campaign at Cruiserweight, and is now 244.
You beat me to it! I was going to comment on that as well. I don’t really recall what his weight was before his losses to Rice were, but far under 297. I guess he, himself, has completely given up on ever being a force in the division.
He was 273 for his Debut, 267 for the Abell fight, 278 for the Rice rematch, and 289 against Fulgencio Zuniga in his last fight, which I just became aware of. Yes, he has apparently given up on being a force in the division. He wasn’t blazing fast at 270, and couldn’t get out of the way of anything thrown his way against Rice. That HAS to get worse at his current weight. In all likelihood, he loses to a 3-0 unknown here and fades away…
Just one question Chris, i was undisputed champion on Fightnews and yet i am Franchise champion was it the same for you ? I tought i would be hall of famer after ?!
Wilder is taking a step in the right direction. He’s back to the 212-214 range where he should have been.
Wilder is well under WBC’s Bridgerweight limit. Oscar Rivas next?
Wherever Wilder “hides”, Usyk will find him 🙂
I don’t know. I wouldn’t be shocked if wilder is KO. Sometimes after a fighter loses he’s just not the same guy.
Wilder should win by ko unless he’s damaged goods.
I’m still predicting wilder to ko helenius in 4. If it goes beyond 8 then wilder just may be in trouble.
Wilder will be winging wild arm-punching shots hoping to slug his way to victory similar to fighters in a tough man contest. He’s such a glorified amateur, just a pathetic fighter. I’m pulling for Helenius.
I don’t really care what his weight is. Wilder often looked 1 or 2 punches away from being in serious trouble at any weight. It’s tough to improve a chin especially at age 37. Maybe he can escape punches easier at this weight. Helenius has to be willing to test that always shaky Wilder chin.
Helenius looks just like Fury.
Doesn’t box like him though
Helenius has never really fully committed to training and it shows in his physique and stamina in the ring. Wilder is coming in as light as he did in the first Fury fight, so I expect the Swede to go timber in three rounds.
Wilder has the edge in this one because Helenius’s chin had been cracked before and not against hard punchers like Wilder. Duhaupas beat him by TKO and he isn’t a hard puncher..
Can’t see Helenius winning this one..
I think Wilder has been exposed! Helenius was his sparring partner. Looking for an upset.
Helenius is going to win this fight.round 7 ko
Interesting fight. Why is Wilder so light? Decent undercard for once. Boxing needs good solid competetive undercards.
wilder ko 1
Some of Helenius’s opponents over the past five years are Bukhausou, Osario and Teper. He has also been severely knocked out by mediocre Washington, outboxed by Whyte and then his two fights against Kownacki with his problems.
The quality is nothing compared to Wilders trilogy against Fury, two fights against Ortiz, fights against Breazeale and Stiverne.
I hope Helenius wins, but I don’t believe in fairy tales. Helenius would surprise me if he survives four rounds.
Wilder went back to basics. Good for him. The lighter weight is what got him to the top. Let’s see how much fight he has left after the 2 beatdowns. I’m calling KO /RD4/Wilder. But not without a scare after Hellenius lands a bomb.