Helenius: 'I know Wilder well, but sparring is not a fight'

“Wilder hides his right hand well and knows how to take it by surprise. This is his best weapon, but I am ready for it, ”says Robert Helenius (31-3, 20 KOs), frequent sparring partner Deontay Wilder (42-2-1, 41 KOs), who will meet him on October 15 in the semi-final eliminator for the WBC heavyweight belt.

“I have very good preparation behind me, and I am ready for this fight. I did my best to prepare as much as possible for Wilder. Until 2011, I knocked out my opponents, but then health problems began that unsettled me for a long time. Now I feel like I'm really back on the right track. After my shoulder surgery, it took me a while to start exercising normally, but now I have a few more good years ahead of me. So I will do my best,” assures the motivated Northern Nightmare.

“I know myself and haven’t felt as good as I do now for a long time. The wins over Kovnatsky were key, they led me to this chance. We know Wilder very well. I regularly worked with him in pairs when he was preparing for fights with big and tall opponents. But sparring and fighting are different things. It’s hard for me to even judge the strength of his blow, because in a helmet, with much larger gloves, they are not so strongly felt. In any case, it seems to me that the knockouts that he made were mainly due to his speed. His biggest advantage is not so much physical strength, but sharpness and explosive power, ”the Finn continued.

“I like the underdog position. In such fights, I keep my concentration better and show the best version of myself. We had enough time, so we prepared special surprises for Wilder. But I have to be on the lookout because Deontay doesn't show a right hand and hits when you least expect it. This is his greatest skill,” Helenius concluded.