Fading Heavyweight Contender Robert Helenius Goes Life and Death with 15 Loss Journeyman

By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent

 

Estonia (March 22, 2018)– Former European Heavyweight champion and heavyweight contender Robert ‘The Nordic Nightmare’ Helenius of Finland, whose 26-2 record is scarred with two losses in the past 23 months, got a nightmare himself when he went life and death with 10-15-3 Belarus journeyman Yury Bykhautsou this past weekend on March 17, 2018, in Estonia. Swedish fighter Helenius had to settle for an eight round split decision victory after getting taken on a trip to hell.

 

One judge had the bout 77-75 for Bykhautsou.

 

Despite winning his previous bout, Bykhautsou had won only one of his last 10 bouts, but all of those bouts either went the six, eight of 10 round distance.  Giving away six inches in height, and over 40 pounds of weight, the smaller Bykhautsou nonetheless aggressively came forward throwing power shots, and surprised Helenius. The journeyman had done his homework, backing up Helenius with body shots and uppercuts. Many of Helenius’ bombs went wide.

 

Helenius tried to use his left jab, but he kept letting Bykhautsou inside, who bullied him onto the ropes. Bykhautsou had a pretty good defense, which gave Helenius trouble and forced Helenius to work for it in every round. Helenius resorted to short, reserved jabs, carefully not to punch himself out early or at all, keeping in mind his 2016 knockout loss to Johann Duhaupas. Bykhautsou, whose record did not indicate it, did the work for this eight round bout, casting his record aside and trying hard to win after extensive training preparations.

 

Bykhautsou hunted Helenius and walked him down for all eight rounds as the pursuer, whether in center ring or with Helenius along the ring ropes. Maintaining a consistent body attack, Bykhautsou did not let Helenius rest, pressuring him and forcing him to fight. Fighting fearlessly, Bykhautsou’s key to success was working his way inside and not giving Helenius a moment’s peace or rest. Bykhautsou was clearly the aggressor of the two, and Helenius, lacking serious power or a knockout blow at this point in his career, would up unexpectedly in a life and death battle. Helenius got a gift split decision, but it sure did not look like he deserved it. Helenius’ performance in this bout cast reasonable doubt as to his capabilities in a bout against Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder, Alexander Povetkin or any of the top heavyweights out there. Helenius is, despite his lackluster performance against Bykhautsou, still active and in the heavyweight title hunt. There is no substitute for adequate preparations. History in the ring has proven anything can still happen. With this decision, Helenius was only lucky. If journeyman Bykhautsou had won one more round on the scorecards, he would have won a majority split decision over a top-rated heavyweight.

 Rounds 7 and 8 and decision, courtesy Estonian television: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFciyPPmtVs 

Result: Robert Helenius Win Split Decision 8 Yury Bykhautsou, Heavyweights

Scoring: 77-76, 78-76, Helenius.  77-75 Bykhautsou.

Referee: Alexandr Makusin

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