Via Brian Webber: With a massive right hand, Deontay Wilder (43-2-1, 42 KOs) left Robert Helenius (31-4, 20 KOs) in a pile on the frame in the first round last Saturday night in China Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
After knocking out 38-year-old Helenius in his comeback fight, Wilder now faces a decision to face Andy Ruiz Jr in a WBC title elimination match or go in a different direction against a target probably safer.
#1 Wilder is expected to be ordered by the WBC to take on #2 Andy Ruiz Jr next in a final elimination bout, with the agency having a mandatory decision sanction against WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.
Wilder has spoken several times this week about wanting to challenge IBF/WBA/WBO champion Oleksandr Usyk for his three titles rather than take on Ruiz in the WBA final elimination match. But Usyk’s failure to appear in Wilder’s comeback match against Helenius last night suggests he won’t be entertaining for that match.
“I would be surprised if he kept his word,Wilder talking about Usyk. “We’ll see what happens. I’ll keep Usyk at his word. We’ll call his teamand we’ll see what happens. “
You can’t blame Usyk for choosing not to go in the direction of a fight with Wilder because there were no trophies to be won in that match, and the risk of being eliminated would be high.
Also, the amount of money Usyk can make against Wilder could be much less than what he would get against Canelo Alvarez.
“I am disappointed that Andy Ruiz, Usyk, or whoever,‘ said Wilder. “The excitement in the weight class is back. There is no heavyweight without Deontay Wilder. That is a fact “.
Sure, it would have been a huge disappointment for Wilder to face Ruiz Jr rather than Usyk, but it was a mistake on the part of Bronze Bombers to have entertained the idea of a fight against Ukrainians.
Apparently Usyk casually mentioned his interest in fighting Wilder from the start, and you can tell he’s not serious. The only way Wilder could fight Usyk was if the Ukrainians failed to negotiate a fight with the sometimes difficult Fury.
If Fury starts giving Usyk the same deadline to sign the contract he did with Anthony Joshua, the fight likely won’t happen.
However, Fury may have learned a painful lesson not to set deadlines for opponents after losing a ton of money in a fight with Joshua.
Unless Fury is dense when it comes to brains, he won’t make that mistake with Usyk as there’s a high chance he’ll lose that fight too.
