The highly anticipated return of former heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder (42-2-1, 41 KOs) is all set for October 15 against Finnish contender Robert Helenius (31-3, 20 KOs).
The bout will take place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, and air live on Fox PPV.
Wilder is coming off of an 11th round knockout loss to Tyson Fury that took place in October of last year.
Many wondered if that was the last time they ever saw the American given the brutal nature of his last two fights against Fury. With this fight, Wilder shows that his career is far from over and that he still intends to challenge for world titles in the future.
Helenius was also last seen on the Fury-Wilder III card defeating Polish heavyweight Adam Kownacki by sixth round knockout.
The win boosted Helenius’s standing in today’s heavyweight scene and was his second win in a row against Kownacki, who he had first defeated by fourth round knockout in March 2020. A win over Wilder would help bring him closer to a title shot that has eluded him for his entire career.
PBC also announced that former super-middleweight champions Caleb Plant (21-1, 12 KOs) and Anthony Dirrell (34-2-2, 25 KOs) will clash in the co-main event. The bout will serve as an eliminator for the WBC super-middleweight title, currently held by Canelo Alvarez.
Plant’s last fight was against Canelo in November of last year, where he lost by 11th round knockout. In that bout, Plant attempted to become undisputed champion but fell short.
He intends to get back in the mix and return to the win column against Dirrell. A win for Plant could potentially see him re-matching Canelo for one of the titles that he had lost out on.
Dirrell was also featured on the Canelo-Plant card, where he Marcos Hernandez by fourth round knockout. With a win over Plant, Dirrell could go on to challenge for the WBC title yet again.
His first time challenging for the title ended in a draw against Sakio Bika, who he later went on to defeat in the rematch before losing that belt to Badou Jack. Dirrell once again claimed the title against Avni Yildirim before loosing it David Benavidez.
Details about the rest of the card will be released at a later date.