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Wilder (42-2-1, 41 KO) has not fought since his Oct. 2021 trilogy bout loss to Tyson Fury, an instant heavyweight classic that saw Wilder stopped in the 11th round. Now 36, the “Bronze Bomber” will likely look to position himself to regain his old WBC if and when Fury actually vacates to go along with his 19 retirements. You might wonder if this fight itself could be for the vacant WBC title, but while not impossible — the WBC and all sanctioning bodies can do what they want — it seems unlikely. Wilder is the No. 1-ranked contender, but the 38-year-old Helenius is only ranked No. 10. Helenius (31-3, 20 KO) is coming off of two straight TKO wins over Adam Kownacki that have given his career new life. The Finnish heavyweight is a plenty capable enough veteran and hard enough puncher that if Wilder just isn’t right or doesn’t have it anymore, he’s certainly dangerous, but if Wilder is even the fighter we saw a year ago, he’ll deserve to be the clear favorite.
The card will also feature a WBC super middleweight eliminator between Caleb Plant (21-1, 12 KO) and Anthony Dirrell (34-2-2, 25 KO)