Unbeaten heavyweight sensation Robert Helenius (11-0, 7 KOs) will return to the ring on March 26 when he takes on Gbenga “Bang Bang” Oloukun at the Töölö Sporthall in Helsinki, Finland. The 26-year-old comes off a string of spectacular KO victories, including an impressive eighth-round stoppage of former WBO Heavyweight Champion Lamon Brewster. “Robert has enormous potential,” Team Sauerland sports director Hagen Doering said at a press conference in Helsinki on Thursday. “The fact that he stopped Brewster in just his 11th fight tells you something about his class. He has got what it takes to be a champion one day..”
Against Oloukun (17-3, 10 KOs), Helenius is determined to continue where he left it against Brewster. “My goal is to be the heavyweight champion of the world,” Helenius said. “That is what I work hard for every day. I know that Oloukun wants to destroy my dreams, but I will not allow him to do that. I need to beat him on my way to the top.”
Ten months after stopping Scott Gammer at the Hartwall Arena in round six, Helenius is thrilled to be back in the ring in Finland. “It is great to get to fight in Finland in front of my friends and my family,” he said. “I want to show my skills and impress them. The training for this fight has been great. I have been sparring for two weeks and will do two more weeks. Team Sauerland has been able to arrange some great boxers to spar with. I have got the chance to spar with guys like Kubrat Pulev and Tyson Fury. That helps me a lot. I am already in a very good shape.”
The fight night at the Töölö Sporthall is promoted by Pekka Maki´s P3 Boxing.
Povetkin warms up for Klitschko with fight against Mora on March 13
Unbeaten heavyweight contender and IBF mandatory challenger Alexander Povetkin (18-0, 13 KOs) will take on Javier Mora in Berlin on March 13. The 2004 Olympic gold medal winner will make his second fight under the guidance of star coach Teddy Atlas. In December, the 30-year-old Russian became the first man to knock out Leo Nolan, clinching a third-round KO victory in Ludwigsburg. To warm up for the hotly-anticipated showdown against Wladimir Klitschko, Povetkin needs to take care of business against Mora (22-3, 18 KOs) on the Huck-Richards card. “Everything can happen in heavyweight boxing, so I really need to be on alert,” Povetkin said. “I will of course be entering the fight as the favourite since I had a very good amateur career and I am currently the IBF´s number one. I will win this fight and show everybody that I am ready for Klitschko.”
Povetkin and Atlas have been training in New Jersey. “The training was very hard and very good,” Povetkin said. “I have learned a lot of things. Of course it will take a while until I can show them in the ring. So the fight against Mora will be another good test for me. I am looking forward to fighting in Berlin.”
Added Teddy Atlas: “I have been working on a lot of things with Alexander. We are trying to further develop his ring identity. He has always risen to the moment – that is why he was 17 and 0 when I got him. But there are still a lot of things where he could improve. We have been working very hard on that. I believe in his character and his talent. This will be another good test. He will definitely be ready once he faces Klitschko.”