Heavy skin will float on Saturday’s atmosphere when the artist’s knockout Deontay Wilder makes his long-awaited return to the ring to face Sweden Robert Helenius.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the key heavyweight bout.
What’s next?
In short, a place at the top.
Neither Wilder nor Helenius hold the heavyweight belt come Saturday, but the consensus is that the winner will be in line for potential bouts with Tyson Fury, Andy Ruiz Jr or Anthony Joshua in the near future.
How can I watch?
Fight fans can watch the heavyweight tilt on FOX Sports PBC pay-per-view. Order today!
What is Wilder’s career status?
Wilder was last seen in the ring a year ago Sunday when he and Fury completed their trilogy on Oct. 9 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Wilder first fought Fury to a draw on December 1, 2018 at the Staples Center (now known as the Crypto.com Arena) in Los Angeles. Their second fight took place on February 22, 2020 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, with Fury scoring a dramatic seventh-round TKO to wrest the WBC title from Wilder.
In their third fight, Fury decisively stopped Wilder with an 11th-round knockout.
Wilder is now looking to rebuild a dominant heavyweight career of 42 wins and 41 KOs.
His two losses came at the hands of Fury, who remains the WBC heavyweight champion.
What is the career status of Helenius?
Helenius, while not a big name in the heavyweight division, enters Saturday with a 31-3 record, having won his last three fights by TKO. None of these fights went beyond the sixth round.
The 38-year-old Swedish-Finnish boxer is also comparable in height to Wilder, considering both men are 6-foot-7. Wilder weighs 238 pounds, while Helenius weighs 246.
Undercard
Ahead of Wilder-Helius on Saturday, there’s a big super-middleweight fight Caleb plant (21-1, 12 KOs) takes over Anthony Dirrell (34-2-2, 24 KOs), both men are looking to claw their way back into title contention.
Plant’s only loss came in his last fight, an 11th-round TKO Canelo Alvarez. Dirrell has won seven of his last nine bouts, registering just one loss and one draw since 2015.
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