Deontay Wilder considered retiring from the sport of boxing after his second consecutive defeat against Tyson Fury back in October 2021. The former WBC champion said he had thought he would step away.
However the Bronze Bomber has returned to training with plenty of ambition and his comeback fight sees him face Robert Helenius tonight as he looks to get back into the mix for a title fight.
“It’s been a long journey for me," Wilder said earlier about the fight. "I thought so many times about whether I should stay out of the business or come back.
"Once I got my statue in my hometown and saw so many people arrive and celebrate with me and my family, to see all the emotions, grown men crying in front of their children and saying he is a real true king, made me feel like my job is not done. So, here I am once again, looking forward to returning to the ring."
Helenius stamped himself as one of the world’s best heavyweights with consecutive stoppage wins over the previously unbeaten Adam Kownacki, including a sixth-round TKO win over Kownacki in Helenius’ last outing on the Fury-Wilder 3 undercard. The 38-year-old “Nordic Nightmare” has won six of his last seven bouts.
"I’ve been waiting for this opportunity for a long time, and I’m going to be ready,’’ Helenius said. “I’m going to produce an even bigger upset than I did with Kownacki.
"I’m going for the belt, so this is a fight to prepare me to achieve that goal. I can only become the best heavyweight in the world by beating the best and that’s what I intend to do on Oct. 15.’’
Here is everything you need to know about Deontay Wilder vs. Robert Helenius.
What time is the Deontay Wilder vs. Robert Helenius fight tonight? Date, start time
Date: Saturday, Oct. 15
Main card: 9 p.m. ET / 2 a.m. GMT
Main event ringwalks (approx): 12 a.m. ET / 5 a.m. GMT
The main card is set to get underway at 9 p.m. ET / 2 a.m. GMT with the main event ringwalks scheduled for 12 a.m. ET / 5 a.m. GMT. With live fight nights, these timings could change.
What channel/stream is Wilder vs. Helenius on tonight?
U.S.: Fox Sports PPV (Price: $74.99), PPV.com, FITE.TV
UK: FITE.TV
Fox Sports PPV will air the fight in the U.S. where fans will have to pay $74.99 to watch the fight. The fight can be streamed in the U.S. at PPV.com and FITE.TV. In the UK, the fight is available on FITE.TV.
Where is the Wilder vs. Helenius fight tonight?
The fight takes place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Deontay Wilder record and bio
- Nationality: American
- Born: October 22, 1985
- Height: 6-7
- Reach: 83 inches
- Total Fights: 45
- Record: 42-2-1 (41 KOs)
Robert Helenius record and bio
- Nationality: Swedish
- Born: January 2, 1984
- Height: 6-6 1⁄2
- Reach: 79 inches
- Total Fights: 34
- Record: 31-3 (20 KOs)
Deontay Wilder vs. Robert Helenius fight card
- Deontay Wilder vs. Robert Helenius; WBC Heavyweight title eliminator
- Caleb Plant vs. Anthony Dirrell; WBC Super Middleweight title eliminator
- Frank Sanchez vs. Carlos Negron; Heavyweights
- Gary Antonio Russell vs. Emmanuel Rodriguez rematch; Bantamweights