Comment | Helenius got a taste of stardom, but there won’t be another seam

New York

It was in it.

Before this weekend Robert Helenius, 38, dreamed of a world championship match, but he won’t be able to do so anymore. You hardly get to other money matches anymore.

The knockout loss was so ugly and quick For Deontay Wilderwhich showed that in the end, you have to be on a different level to make it to the title match.

It was estimated in advance that an honorable defeat at the end of a persistent struggle would have kept Helenius’ reputation so strong that he could still have known encounters against rising stars on their way to World Cup title matches.

Now that reputation is gone. The scary aura of “Nordic Nightmare” is gone.

Wayon which it happened, was a great pity.

Helenius’ two previous matches, surprise victories over the Brooklyn Pole From Adam Kownacki got people speculating if the silent carnivore from Åland would also have a surprise chance against the former world champion Wilder – especially when he had two painful knockout losses against the current WBC world champion Tyson Fury against.

However, Wilder looked like he was from another world. He danced effortlessly, and Helenius was noticeably more agile. Wilder took the place of the blow calmly and got it quickly.

One place was enough, and it was downright amazing how easily Wilder broke down Helenius’ defense so early.

Helenius was ranked fifth on the WBC challenger list and second on the WBA challenger list before the match. Professional boxing is a business where these rankings are based on the boxing bosses’ perceptions of the fighters’ interest value. Although this fight was under the WBC, Helenius will also fall from the WBA list.

Despite that, it’s downright incredible how far Helenius got from his starting points. He has been training mostly alone, only accompanied by his coach at a remote gym in Åland. Still, he made the effort from there to taste the interest of the entire boxing world and the bright lights of New York against superstar Wilder.

It’s an insane achievement.