Deontay Wilder vs. Robert Helenius fight prediction, undercard, odds, start time, preview, expert picks

It has been over 1,000 days since Deontay Wilder stepped into a boxing ring to face an opponent other than Tyson Fury. On Saturday, the former WBC heavyweight champion looks to move past the Fury saga when he faces Robert Helenius at Barclays Center in Brooklyn (9 p.m. ET, FOX PPV).

Wilder’s career has been tangled with Fury’s dating back to their first meeting in December 2018, a clash that ended in a controversial split draw. After Fury stopped Wilder (42-2-1, 41 KO) twice to settle their rivalry, it left Wilder out of the world title picture for the first time since he won the WBC belt in 2015.

One of the hardest punchers in boxing history, Wilder will be looking to get back to his old ways when he faces off with Helenius (31-3, 20 KO). Only one Wilder opponent other than Fury has been able to last to the judges’ scorecards and four of Wilder’s 41 career knockout victories have come inside Barclays Center.

“I’ve had some of my most dramatic and exciting knockouts and most enjoyable moments in this arena,” Wilder said at Thursday’s pre-fight press conference. “When I got off the plane, the energy here just felt amazing. … It almost feels like a second home to me. I’m always here and put on my best performances here. I’m not looking for nothing less than a great performance. The fans are in for a treat. There’s a lot on the line, and I think I’ve got the right opponent for us to give the fans what we want to see.”

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Helenius is a former Wilder sparring partner and the two men share a healthy respect that at times seems to border on something as close to friendship as two opponents come.

“I’ve got tremendous love and respect for Robert,” Wilder said. “We’ve known…