Robert Helenius Says He Would Knockout Tyson Fury!
Heavyweight contender Robert “The Nordic Nightmare” Helenius (31-3, 20KOs) is in the midst of a career resurgence. The 6’7 Swedish born fighter is coming off of back-to-back knockout wins over previously unbeaten and highly rated heavyweight contender Adam Kownacki. With such notable wins, he’s obviously looking for bigger and better opportunities. Ranked #13 in the WBC and #3 in the WBA, The Nordic Nightmare wants a crack at a world title.
HELENIUS ANGLING FOR WBA MANDATORY SHOT AT OLEKSANDR USYK!
Helenius is sitting in a pretty nice spot in the WBA rankings as he inches closer to a world title opportunity. With #1 ranked contender Daniel Dubois targeting a fight with WBA regular heavyweight champion Trevor Bryan and #2 ranked Michael Hunter currently stuck in neutral, this had led Helenius to pursue the mandatory spot in the WBA.
Speaking with Skysports.com he said the following regarding seeking the WBA mandatory spot.
“Right now we are waiting for a formal response from the WBA, this is my first priority. My lawyer has notified the WBA in writing. I’ve paid my sanctioning fees, and there is no more deserving contender to fight Usyk in the WBA than me. I fully expect to be officially named mandatory. I’ve earned it and will fight outside the ring as hard as I fight inside the ring for my opportunity.”
Robert Helenius
Helenius has an excellent case. His two consecutive wins over Kownacki were extremely impressive. Initially thought to be another knockout victory for the Polish hard-hitter, he proved the naysayers wrong and in the process he changed the trajectory of his career. At 38 years old, he knows the time to get a world title opportunity is now.
FURY EASIER THAN USYK?
Obviously a fight with unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk (19-0, 13KOs) will have to wait until sometime in late 2022. The Ukrainian champion will run it back with former champion Anthony Joshua sometime in the spring. However, another world title opportunity may fall in his hands. WBC heavyweight Tyson Fury (31-0-1, 22KOs) is currently in negotiations with mandatory Dillian Whyte for a potential March 26 fight. But, the negotiations have been a swing and a miss so far. With Fury entitled to a 80-20 split, this has left Whyte feeling disrespected and wanting a bigger piece of the pie.
As with boxing most times, there is a contingency plan in place if talks fall through. Bob Arum, who promotes Fury along with Frank Warren, is already looking at backup plans. Names like former unified champion Andy Ruiz and Helenius have been mentioned as possible opponents.
Helenius is well aware of this and would gladly welcome the opportunity to fight Tyson Fury.
“I’ve heard my name mentioned by Bob Arum and others of possibly fighting Fury in March.”
“Of course I feel I would beat Fury.”
“He looked great against Deontay Wilder, but he would find a much less favorable style against me.”
“I would knock Fury out.”
“He is an easier style for me than Usyk for sure”
Robert Helenius
Obviously either the Fury or Usyk fight would provide much difficulty for Helenius, but you have to respect his confidence. At this point, he has absolutely nothing to lose, as he wasn’t even expected to get by Kownacki and he did it twice.
3kingsboxing.com will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as they become available.
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By: Jerrell Fletcher
