Deontay Wilder slims down 24 pounds to 214.5 for Robert Helenius fight after losing to Tyson Fury

Former heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder (42-2-1) has shed down to 214.5 pounds for Saturday’s bout against Robert Helenius, which is nearly 24 pounds lighter than he was last year for his trilogy bout with Tyson Fury.

Wilder, who was knocked out by Fury in the 11th round last October, previously fought at 212 pounds, so it’s not a stretch that the 36-year-old would come in so light for Saturday’s bout in Brooklyn.

In fact, Wilder was at 212 pounds for his first bout against Fury, which he nearly won before losing a controversial decision in 2018.

Helenius (31-3-0) tipped the scales at 253.25 pounds, which is customary for the Swedish-Finnish fighter.

Former heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder (42-2-1) has shed down to 214.5 pounds for Saturday’s bout against Robert Helenius, which is nearly 24 pounds lighter than he was last year for his trilogy bout with Tyson Fury

Deontay Wilder and Robert Helenius face off during their weigh in at Barclays Center on Friday in Brooklyn, New York. The bout will be a WBC Heavyweight Title Eliminator fight taking place at Barclays Center on Saturday

Deontay Wilder weighs in at 238 pounds during his weigh-in before a fight against Tyson Fury for the World Heavyweight Championship at T-Mobile Arena on October 8, 2021 in Las Vegas

On Thursday, Wilder expressed his burning desire to face off against Anthony Joshua in Africa, that’s despite not yet getting past Saturday night’s opponent, Helenius. 

Wilder and Joshua have long had on-and-off again discussions about a super fight between two of the modern heavyweight division’s greatest. Now, it seems Wilder is committed to delivering the fight in the future. 

‘Everywhere I go I hear people say me and Joshua, me and Joshua, and that’s the number one fight for them,’ Wilder said during a pre-press conference media scrum. ‘If that’s the number one fight in the world for me to have, that’s what I want.’