Wilder, Helenius, Plant, Dirrell Press Quotes & Photos

By Premier Boxing - 10/13/2022 - Comments

Boxing superstar and former longtime heavyweight world champion Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder and top-rated Robert “The Nordic Nightmare” Helenius went face-to-face Thursday at the final press conference as the two power-punchers promised fireworks when they meet in a WBC Heavyweight Title Eliminator headlining a FOX Sports PBC Pay-Per-View this Saturday, October 15 from Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

DEONTAY WILDER “We were sparring partners and we respect each other, but don’t you worry, the beast will come out on Saturday night. It’s going to be fireworks for sure.

YouTube video

“The second phase of my career is going to be for the people. When my statue was unveiled in my hometown, it meant a lot to me, because I saw all the people who united to celebrate me and my accomplishments.

“I have tremendous respect for Robert. We’ve known each other for years. The reason I agreed to take this fight is because he’s on a winning streak. He’s been looking great. When they said this would be a title eliminator, I was excited, because if I’m going to be here, why not compete for something worth fighting for?

“There’s an electrifying energy that this arena possesses. I’ve had some of my most exciting knockouts right here. When I got off the plane, the energy just felt amazing. It almost feels like a second home to me.

“I put on my best performances here at Barclays Center. I’m not looking for anything less than another great performance. There’s a lot on the line and I think that I have the right opponent to give the fans what they want to see.

“We both have the warrior mentality. When you fight with your heart, you’re willing to go out on your shield. That’s what everyone is going to see on Saturday.

“You can’t look past Robert Helenius. I put in over 700 rounds in training camp and it’s been tremendous ever since pre-camp. We had to slow down a little bit to make sure I didn’t overtrain. You can go so many years doing the same thing over and over, but it becomes boring. The way we did this training camp was really refreshing.

“Many people have said many things to me about wanting to fight, but when the time came, they went another way. I’ve asked around about Oleksandr Usyk and I’ve been told he’s a man of his word. Upon me being victorious, we’ll see what happens.

“This whole second phase of my career is all about having fun. I always tell people that I’m happy and at peace in my life. Where I am, the grass is green. I’m just looking forward to Saturday night.”

YouTube video

ROBERT HELENIUS

“I’ve dedicated all my life to this sport. So this means everything to me. I did all my work so that I could bring my best self to this fight. I’m ready.

“Of course I respect his power. We’ve worked on our footwork and jabs a lot and we’ve been at it the whole year.

“I like being the underdog. It gives me more strength and more power in training camp and when we eventually get into the ring.

“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t believe in myself. If I didn’t think that I could become the heavyweight world champion, I would have got an easier job.

“Sitting here, I don’t know what else to say. I feel like this is my time now and we’re going to give everyone a great show.

“Sparring is much different than a fight. We know that the punches are going to be for real this time. You’re going to see a smart Helenius who’s moving well in this fight.

“I don’t think about the layoffs that Deontay and I have. Sometimes I feel much better when I’ve had a lot of time off. What matters is your mentality, because if you are mentally prepared, that will make the difference.

“I’ve fought at Barclays Center before and the atmosphere is crazy. I feel like we’re going to have the same thing on Saturday night and I can’t wait.”

YouTube video

CALEB PLANT

“It’s been a minute since I’ve been in the ring, but after the Canelo Alvarez fight we got back to work and kept working on certain things. I’ve kept working ever since. Come Saturday night, I’m excited to show everyone what we’ve been working on.

“Leading up to this fight he’s had a lot to say about how much he doesn’t like me. But I’m not here to talk about emotions. I’m here to do a job.

“I have half the fights he has and our resumes are similar. So I’d ask, are you a bum? Because you said that all I fight are bums.

“He’s a former two-time world champion, so we’re prepared and we worked really hard for this moment. At the end of the day, I think he barks more than he bites.

“Becoming a two-time world champion would mean everything to me. I worked tirelessly my whole life to get to this point, but I have a lot more to give the fans and the sport of boxing.

“You don’t get to the world title fights without focusing on the fight in front of you. I have a fight on Saturday that I’m focused on and that’s the only thing on my mind.

“I’m looking to get my hand raised. Whatever way that it happens. It’s going to be fireworks. There’s going to be great action all night long. Everyone should tune in, because we’re going to turn up.

“I just feel like I’m going to put a whooping on him and he’ll run off into the sunset. I hope he’s fully prepared.”

YouTube video

ANTHONY DIRRELL

“Just don’t get on your bike Caleb. Tell me who he’s fought? He’s fought nobody. He better be ready for this.

“Being an underdog is just another way for me to make more money. That’s just people’s opinions at the end of the day, and I’m fine with it.

“I don’t play with kids. He’s a kid to me. I don’t care about his social media posts. That means nothing to me. At the end of the day, I’m going to get my hand raised.

“Sometimes I fight better when there’s emotions involved. We have different game plans for different people, because not everyone fights the same. We have a game plan with Caleb and we’re going to execute.

“SugarHill Steward is a great trainer and he’s been with me since I was a teenager. We’re really familiar with each other and that will help us.

“Caleb hasn’t shown me anything special. Period. In any fight. He’s a good boxer, but it’s nothing special. He better be ready for Saturday, because I am.

“He’s been trying to get my attention all camp. But I don’t care about him. There’s nothing he can do to me.

“Only way he retires me is if he runs around the ring until I’m old. He can’t hit. What can he do? Who has he whooped?

“We’re going in there and giving it our all. My plan is to go in there and whoop his ass.”

Former heavyweight world champion and boxing superstar Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder previewed his long-awaited return to the ring in an all-new episode of “The Pivot Podcast” as the celebrated knockout artist promised fan-friendly action in his PPV showdown against Robert Helenius this Saturday, October 15 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

“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.”

The former longtime WBC Heavyweight World Champion, who reigned from 2015-2020 with one of the best knockout percentages in boxing history, sat down with the show’s co-hosts and former NFL stars Ryan Clark, Channing Crowder and Fred Taylor to open up about his early days and how he turned a mean streak into generational wealth.

“I never knew why I had such a quick temper,” said Wilder. “But over time you learn to put away childish things and that’s the story of me. I had to understand what was worth me putting action toward and what wasn’t. Especially when you start having kids, because everything you do is about them. That’s when I had to start thinking about my actions, because I knew that if I wasn’t in their lives, then nobody was getting fed.”

For Wilder, his origin story in the sport started with little intention of reaching the magnificent heights he’s reached so far. Instead, it featured a “street fighter” with a young daughter fighting a medical condition, who bet on himself to ultimately change the lives of him and his family.

“When you get into a boxing ring you become organized,” said Wilder. “It’s a structure and a discipline. It requires a certain standard to compete and really do it. When I had my first sparring session is when I realized that I could be something. The only reason I even went into the gym was to become a ‘journeyman’, because I was just doing it due to my daughter having Spina Bifida. It led me to the gym.

“I thought I could double my money if I made it to the Olympic team. I knew that would help me even more than just going right into the journey as a pro. I took that route and made the Olympic team and medaled, all in a year and a half…the rest is history from there.”

One of Wilder’s most notable from throughout his career, actually occurred outside of the ring. In an interview during the week leading up to his first of three fights against fellow heavyweight great Tyson Fury, Wilder unleashed a passionate screed about the struggles facing the black community that immediately went viral and became a rallying cry for the fighter and beyond. As he explained, the moment was made possible because of his willingness to use his platform to speak freely and openly.

“Because I have a platform where I can speak and people will listen to what I say, sometimes if they love what I say, they’ll apply it to life,” said Wilder. “This position allows me to move further and speak about injustice…If your culture hasn’t experienced it, then you’ll never understand what we mean by that. You won’t have to understand what it feels like… If you can have strong opinions and can make people change their mindset on a certain subject, then you have meaning. Certain athletes won’t dare touch on certain subjects, because they have a cloud over their head that can rain on their parade. But I don’t have that, I run my own parade. I dictated my career a long time ago. I have more freedom with what I want to say and what I want to talk about. I love speaking out for our people.”

Before moving into this next phase of his career, Wilder set out for a retreat to the Rythmia Life Advancement Center, which drew the attention of Taylor who asked him what he sought from the experience and what he gained since partaking.

“I was seeking clarification of my life and clarification on if I was on the right path and the right journey,” said Wilder. “I thought this facility would give me some type of guidance. Although we may see things or hear things from people in our world, we can always change our course…Being there brought me a lot of happiness. I wanted to instill that happiness and find that happiness within myself…I got everything I needed out of there. I got peace of mind, because I learned where my journey leads.”

The show’s co-hosts also make sure to ask Wilder about another key moment that led to his final career pivot and decision to return the ring this Saturday night on PPV. For Wilder, he gained the final motivation he needed to return after meeting with fans who had come out to watch a statue of Wilder be unveiled in his hometown of Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

“Certain things, you just don’t have words for,” said Wilder. “My vocabulary is not big enough to express the true feeling of how I felt. I was in a very emotional state to be presented that statue. It was amazing to see people from all over the world want to come and commune and celebrate that moment in time…Especially being in the heart of Dixie, because they put a black warrior right by the Black Warrior River. That was an area where blacks were prohibited by whites unless driven to clean their houses, and up the street they sold slaves. It’s crazy to think about all that. I never would have thought in a million years that I’d receive a statue, but especially for the place it happened in, it was an unbelievable feeling.”

YouTube video