Deontay Wilder in Las Vegas (Photo: Hustle Boss)
By Chris Robinson
On Thursday afternoon, former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder hosted the media at the UFC Apex Gym in Las Vegas ahead of his latest ring appearance, vs. Robert “The Nordic Nightmare” Helenius.
The Wilder vs. Helenius bout will be a heavyweight title eliminator, set to air on FOX Sports pay per view, from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Wilder is returning from his riveting bout with Tyson Fury late last year, the third in their memorable trilogy.
Wilder lost that contest via 11th round TKO, yet he fought valiantly, even dropping Fury two times along the way. His fight with Helenius is dangerous, however, as the Swedish fighter is coming off of a pair of TKO victories over Adam Kownacki.
Wilder appears to be in amazing spirits, as he worked loosely with trainer and former contender Malik Scott.
There definitely is a history between the two fighters, one that Wilder acknowledges.
“With Robert, I think he’s gotten even more confident because he’s been sparring with me for many, many years,” said Wilder. “So we kind of know each other. At this point in camp, we’re trying to do some things that he’s never seen before. And I’m sure he’s trying to do some things that I’ve never seen before. And the one thing I like about Robert is that he has a warrior’s heart, just like me.”
This is Wilder’s second camp with Scott, and he admits that the work has been tireless.
“We’ve been doing 30 or 40 rounds nonstop,” said Wilder. “Only time I get water is during the break. I’ve just been doing things like that to challenge myself, doing things that have never been done before, or that you don’t really do in boxing. I wanted to see how my body adjusts to the long length of time without a break. When you can go a long time without taking a break, you’re in shape.”
This should be a very eventful fight for Wilder, and it was great to see him in such high spirits a few weeks away from his 46th bout.
Chris Robinson can be reached at CRobinson@hustleboss.com