It may be hard to believe now, when analysing the current landscape of boxing, but there was once a time where Finland had established themselves on the world stage.
Particularly in the 1950’s and 1960’s, Finnish fighters held prestigious accolades at numerous levels of the sport; Risto Luukkonen (34-11-3) became the EBU Flyweight and Bantamweight champion and Elis Ask (40-17-5) held the EBU Lightweight championship.
Most notably, Olli Maki (28-14-8) would become known at the world level, when he would challenge the ‘Springfield Rifle’ Davey Moore (59-7-1) for the World Featherweight title. Maki would also pick up the EBU Super Lightweight title before his retirement. His life at the time of his world champion contention would be documented in the fantastic and charming film The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Maki (Kuosmanen, 2016).
Entering the late 1960’s, a Finnish presence in boxing diminish, save for a few exceptions; Tarmo Uusivirta (24-4-3) would challenge at the European level throughout the 1980’s and 1990’s, as would Jyri Kjall (23-1), who would win the IBF Inter-Continental Welterweight and NBA Welterweight titles and fight from 1994 through to 2004.
Around the time of Kjall’s retirement from the sport, however, Finland would see a minor resurgence in the boxing scene. Edis Tatli (32-3) lightweight contender would start his amateur career in the same year of Kjall’s retirement.
Tatli would go on to hold the EBU European Lightweight and WBA Inter-Contenental Lightweight titles, having an impressive run with them both and even challenging for a world title against Richar Abril (20-3-1). In one of his last bouts, ‘Prince’ Tatli would go on to face Teofimo Lopez (20-1), losing to the young ‘Takeover’ by knockout.
In consideration of this resurgence, the biggest name – both literally in stature and figuratively – would be that of Robert Helenius (32-5). The holder of the WBA Gold World Heavyweight title has had a turbulent career; a promising and tough ‘Nordic Nightmare’, whose progress would be stalled time and time again.
A young Helenius would start boxing at five, amassing a fine degree of amateur talent through fighting in the Finnish Amateur Boxing Championships, European Amateur Boxing Championships and, eventually, trying for the Olympics. Helenius, however, would lose in the qualifiers, signifying his time in the amateurs was coming to a close.
He would turn professional in Germany, where many of his early bouts would be staged – as well as Sweden and his home country of Finland. From 2008 through to 2010, he was undefeated in 12 bouts, winning by KO/TKO in seven of those. Helenius made easy work of opponents such as Taras Bidenko (28-6) and Lamon Brewster (35-6), the latter of which, Helenius would retire from the sport.
Helenius would make his first step into the limelight with a win over Gregory Tony (22-7) for the vacant EBU European Union Heavyweight title. Tony, who was undefeated in 12 at the time, was down once in rounds three, four, five and six, before being stopped later in the sixth.
Immediately, Helenius would put his EBU title on the line in his home of Helsinki, challenging Swede Attila Levin (35-4) for his WBO Inter-Continental Heavyweight title. The fight was swift and devastating, with Helenius ending the bout in two.
Having made two defences by KO/TKO, it was considered, in the changing landscape of the early 2010’s, that Helenius could potentially be a presence at the top table; especially given the heavy Euro-centric nature of the division at the time.
In the biggest bout of his career thus far, Helenius would face another significant prospect of the time; the dangerous and characterful Derek ‘Del Boy’ Chisora (34-13), who had only lost to Tyson Fury (34-1-1) at the time. With the WBA and WBO Inter-Continental and EBU European Heavyweight titles on the line, in an event billed as ‘The Night Of The Heavyweights’, Helenius and Chisora would battle long and hard in a controversial fight.
Many thought that Chisora did enough to win the fight, with a much more efficient work-rate in comparison to the taller but slower Helenius. Despite this, Helenius left the bout with a split-decision victory and all the marbles. The Ring Magazine would brand this ‘a gift’ and many in the boxing world would criticise the decision, which remained on both fighters’ records nonetheless.
It seemed as though his career would only take off from here, being only the second man to stop Chisora.
But, with injuries and lawsuits, the breaks on the Helenius sleigh would be halted significantly. By the time Helenius returned to active prizefighting, the heavyweight division had moved on. The Klitschko era had come to an end. Names like Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua (28-3) and Deontay Wilder (43-3-1) were on the rise.
Even Chisora had cemented himself as a popular name, with loses in huge fights against Vitali Klitschko (45-2), David Haye (28-4) and a rematch with Fury. Soon, Chisora would face Dillian Whyte (30-3) in one of the biggest fights of his career.
Helenius, on the other hand, was reduced to recapturing all of his old titles on the comeback trail, earning the EBU European and IBF International Heavyweight titles in unanimous decision win over Franz Rill (16-2), a Canadian who was undefeated at the time.
‘The Nordic Nightmare’ immediately jumped at the chance to claim the vacant WBC Silver Heavyweight title against the 33-3 – at the time – Johann Duhaupas (39-7), who was still reeling from a loss to Deontay Wilder, the holder of the WBC Heavyweight crown. Despite wins over the likes of Mahmoud Charr (34-4), Helenius was still seen by many as the favourite.
Hitting the canvas once in round four was a sign of the troubles to come within the bout for the Finnish fighter, however, as Duhaupas was able to drill a powerful right hand straight into Helenius, who was wide open. Spirited, Helenius rose to his feet just before the end of the count, although he was dazed enough for the bout to be called off. Robert Helenius would lose in round six.
Officially the first loss of his career, Helenius would be stalled once again – and time was working against him. At age 33, time was precious, if he was to secure world honours. And so, after a few minor tune-ups, he would once again challenge for the WBC Silver belt – against the much more dangerous Dillian Whyte.
Travelling to the Principality Stadium, Cardiff, Helenius would face ‘The Body Snatcher’ in his backyard of Britain with only one and a half weeks notice; a common theme throughout the latter half of Helenius’ career.
Taking hit after hit from the power-punching Whyte, Helenius was brave enough to go the distance, although he hadn’t done nearly enough to win the bout, with the judges heavily favouring Whyte in the fight.
Despite losing to Whyte, Helenius proved that he still had the willpower left within him to operate towards the upper end of the division. After claiming the IBF Inter-Contenental belt from Erkan Teper (21-4-1) in his comfort-zone of Germany, Helenius would take, what he assumed, to be yet another knock-over bout against Gerald Washington (20-6-1) in Minneapolis, U.S.A.
Washington’s resume, at this point, was a who’s-who of losses, from the likes of Deontay Wilder, Jarell Miller (26-1-1) and Adam Kownacki (20-4); someone who enters the story of Helenius later on.
Surprisingly to many, in the eighth round, Washington would outright KO ‘The Nordic Nightmare’, perhaps an unfortunate sign of what was to come.
In a WBA title eliminator, Helenius was matched-up against the undefeated Adam Kownacki, who was 20-0 at the time, and poised to be one of the next big hitters in the division. To the shock of spectators, the elder Helenius would TKO ‘Babyface’ in the fourth, changing the fate of both men forever. Helenius was presented with the WBA Gold World Heavyweight title in the aftermath of the astonishing, turnaround bout.
In the fallout of the upset, Kownacki would immediately be given a rematch, taking place on the undercard of another heavyweight rematch; Tyson Fury versus Deontay Wilder II. Demonstrating the same discipline as the previous bout, Helenius engaged Kownacki in much the same way as before; to the same effect. Moving past round four, Kownacki would be given a warning for low-blows, perhaps a sign of nervousness as he was continually pressed by Helenius.
In the sixth round, Helenius would win by TKO, disrupting the career trajectory of Kownacki, who would never recover.
Confident in his abilities after the Kownacki duology, it would be announced that Helenius would be taking on the hard-hitting Deontay Wilder, a man who had just lost his world honours to ‘The Gypsy King’. In round one, at the Barclays Centre in New York, Helenius would be hit with Wilder’s iconic and thudding right hand, in one of the most visually distressing knockouts ever put to canvas.
After the bout, the usually cold Wilder would express concern for his opponent, who many thought would retire in the aftermath of such an evisceration.
Instead, Helenius would soldier on, past-his-prime, keeping himself busy with a fight in his native Finland against a 6-0 Mika Mielonen, now only 7-1.
Yet, there would be one last glimmer for the nightmare; a dream in the darkness. His former boogeyman, Dillian Whyte, had dropped out of his scheduled rematch with Anthony Joshua, given his use of illegal substances. Not only was this a chance for Helenius to catapult himself back to brilliance, but it also cast a light on his original bout with Whyte, given his branding as a ‘drug-cheat’.
And so, with five days’ notice, Helenius made the pilgrimage to London, to face one of the best men in the division and a former world champion. Interestingly, on the undercard, Chisora would face Gerald Washington in his most recent bout to date.
Joshua, fresh off his back-to-back losses against Oleksandr Usyk (21-0), was unusually gun-shy and defensive, pushing Helenius little and resorting to the jab, over unloading on the older, less-movement heavy opponent.
Helenius even captured the opening round, according to most. It was a tepid and drawn-out affair, with Helenius’s best efforts halted, but with Joshua unable to answer back with his trademark assaults. In round seven, however, a pitch-perfect shot by Joshua would fling the ‘Nightmare’ directly onto the canvas, in a mirroring of Wilder’s previous halting of the Finnish beast.
In many ways, his ending of Helenius would later become the blueprint through which Joshua would defeat MMA fighter Francis Ngannou (0-2); although, with more confidence than displayed here.
Still, Joshua had beaten Helenius, and he has not stepped foot in the ring since.
And, quite honestly, that can only be seen as a good thing. Helenius has had brilliant past performances and made his country proud on the world stage. It can only be read positively that he retires in his forties, rather than becoming an ageing gatekeeper like his former rival, Derek ‘War’ Chisora.
Helenius should be best remembered as a fighter who gave it his all and took every opportunity presented in front of him, even when the odds were heavily stacked against him.
‘The Nordic Nightmare’ can take his place amongst the many Finnish fighters who have represented their country on the biggest stages in boxing and look back on his accolades and accomplishments with fondness.