Deontay Wilder Vs. Robert Helenius: Odds, Records, Prediction

When Deontay Wilder and Robert Helenius eventually retire, the boxing world will almost certainly believe that Wilder had a much more notable career. Wilder was a longtime heavyweight titlist who probably will at least make the ballot for the Hall of Fame. Helenius will probably be always seen as a journeyman. But Helenius has proven at least one thing that Wilder still hasn’t: he knows how to successfully bounce back from a career low point. It’s unclear if Wilder can, but we’ll begin to find out on Saturday night. Here’s everything you need to know about Deontay Wilder vs. Robert Helenius, including the odds, their records and a prediction on who will win.

It seems hard to believe, but Wilder hasn’t scored a victory in nearly three years. And considering Wilder was undefeated through the first 43 fights of his career, that seems almost shocking. But no, Wilder is coming off back-to-back knockout losses to Tyson Fury, where Wilder lost his heavyweight title—and nearly his career.

“I give it all 110% percent,” said Wilder. “I tell people that I only have three years left that I want to dedicate to this business. I want to get back to the big fights and to giving the fans what they want to see, and that’s me risking my life for others’ entertainment . . . I’m doing it for the people this time. It’s not about just my family anymore. It’s about everyone who I’ve motivated, inspired and encouraged all over the world.”

Said Malik Scott, Wilder’s trainer: “Deontay is fighting for himself, as well as for the inspiration that he gives so many people. Deontay is the real people’s champ. It’s not about money. It’s not about materialistic things. It’s about him being extremely motivated and inspired by so many people that he’s touched across the world and across the nation that he’s willing to do it again. And honestly, he hasn’t taken his foot off the gas in training.”

After his first loss to Fury, Wilder made a litany of excuses for why he had been knocked out (the two men had a draw in their first fight). After his second loss to Fury, also by devastating knockout, Wilder mostly disappeared from the spotlight. It was unclear if he would return. But he squashed retirement talk in May.

“I can’t stop right now. I must continue with my journey,” Wilder said. “I love you guys so much. I can’t end it like this.”

While Wilder is a healthy betting favorite vs. Helenius, a victory isn’t guaranteed. Although Helenius was mostly considered a decent but unspectacular fighter for most of his 14-year career, he’s coming off back-to-back knockout wins against former contender Adam Kownacki. That resurrected Helenius’ career and put himself in position to earn a nice payday vs. Wilder.

And who knows? Maybe Helenius actually can score an even bigger upset on Saturday night.

“I’m ready to do everything in my power to win,” Helenius said. “I only took two weeks off after my last fight, and I’ve been training since then. I know what it takes to win at this level.

“I’ve promised my fans in Finland that I would bring the world title back home and sometimes you have to go through a lot to get there. But I’m going to do everything I can. We’re doing all the extra work that we need to.”

Here’s more info on the Deontay Wilder vs. Robert Helenius showdown that U.S. viewers can watch for $74.99 on Fox Sports PPV beginning at 9 p.m. ET on Saturday.

Deontay Wilder vs. Robert Helenius odds

Wilder is the -800 favorite (bet $800 to win $100), while Helenius is the +500 underdog (earn $500 on a $100 wager). Both of those money lines feel appropriate, but I wouldn’t bother betting either of them. Instead, you could take Wilder to win by KO at -450 (although it doesn’t provide much value, it’s probably the safest bet on the fight), or you could take him to win by KO in rounds 1-6 at -138 (I actually like that play the best). If you like Helenius to win, I honestly have no idea whether you should take him by KO (+850) or by decision (+1200). Maybe just flip a coin on that idea.

If you were looking for a fun parlay for this weekend’s action of boxing (and this is only for entertainment purposes), I might take Wilder to knock out Robert Helenius at -450, Devin Haney to beat George Kambosos by decision at -200 and Claressa Shields to beat Savannah Marshall by decision at +120. Hitting that parlay would pay off at about 3/1.

Deontay Wilder vs. Robert Helenius records

It’s probably always going to irk Wilder (42-2-1, 41 KOs) that, though he knocked down Fury a total of four times, he went 0-2-1 against him. But Wilder still has two nice KO victories against Luis Ortiz and a first-round destruction of Dominic Breazeale.

Here’s how mediocre Helenius’ resume of 31-3 (20 KOs) was before he beat Kownacki. He had been knocked out by Gerald Washington, had been stopped by Johann Duhaupas and had been dominated by Dillian Whyte. None of those boxers are bad; but, with the exception of Whyte, they’re not nearly elite-level competitors (and Washington and Duhaupas also suffered knockouts vs. Wilder). Helenius does have victories vs. Derek Chisora, Samuel Peter and Lamon Brewster, but all of those wins came before 2011.

Deontay Wilder vs. Robert Helenius prediction

It all comes down to how much confidence Wilder has in himself. Can he move past his two losses to Fury and become something close to what he was when he was in the middle of defending his title 10 times? Can Wilder’s chin withstand Helenius’ power? There might be some scary moments for Wilder, but ultimately, he’ll get through them and catch Helenius with a right hand that will end the fight. Say, Wilder by KO in the fifth round.