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Deontay Wilder was seemingly on top of the boxing world just a few short years ago. With ten successful defenses of his WBC heavyweight title, the Alabama native began moving into rarified air.
Yet, even with Wilder setting countless records and being widely regarded as one of the deadliest punchers in boxing history, Eddie Hearn simply isn’t a believer in his total package.
“I’m still not sold about Deontay Wilder in terms of his all-around boxing ability,” said Hearn during a recent interview with Fight Hub TV. “But, he’s a tremendous puncher, he’s very exciting, he’s brilliant for the heavyweight division.”
In an attempt to further his stranglehold on the heavyweight landscape, Wilder (42-2-1, 41 KOs) sought to add Tyson Fury’s name to his ledger. However, despite Wilder and Fury squaring off on three separate instances, the former Olympic bronze medalist would come up short on all three occasions.
Following his latest defeat, Wilder admitted that he contemplated retirement. Nevertheless, after taking nearly a year away from the sport to recharge his batteries, the 36-year-old feels like a brand new man.
In his first ring appearance since facing Fury, Wilder will take on Robert Helenius in Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on October 15th. Though he’s failed to produce at the top level, the 38-year-old sudden contender registered back-to-back victories over Adam Kownacki.
While initially impressive, Hearn believes that Helenius (31-3, 20 KOs) is a bit overblown in terms of his current stature. But, as the Sweden native continues to ramp things up during training camp, Hearn isn’t totally dismissive of Helenius’s chances at pulling off the win. In fact, according to Hearn, Helenius, considering his 6’6 frame, will have plenty of opportunities to score the biggest win of his career.
“The Kownacki victories probably glorified him a little bit. It looks like Adam is at the end of his career now but he still withstood some fire in there. Robert Helenius is a huge man. I think he can capitulate under pressure and anyone would under the power of Deontay Wilder. I do expect him to win but, that’s a winnable fight for Robert Helenius.”