Robert Helenius has demanded that he should be made the mandatory fighter to meet with the winner of the Oleksandr Usyk vs. Anthony Joshua bout next month. At this point, there is no word on what would happen after the fight, such as who the winner would face next or if there is any mandatory fighter in line to compete with. Helenius has now stepped up, asking that he be made the mandatory fighter and be given a chance at the WBA title, and has threatened to sue if he is not given the opportunity.
Speaking to Sky Sports recently, he said, “I definitely should be next. Every elimination bout after mine is bullshit!
“At this point, if we are not designated the mandatory after Usyk’s next fight, we will have only one option. My lawyers are very confident that the WBA have bungled this whole thing, so I am confident in my position.
“For now, I will just stay focused on training and see how Usyk versus Joshua and my WBA situation plays out. But I remain in a great position for something very big in the coming months for sure.”
The 36-year-old from Finland has a professional record of 31 wins from 34 fights. In 2020, he defeated Adam Kownacki to claim the vacant WBA Gold heavyweight title. Last year, he defeated Kownacki for the second time. Other fighters he has defeated over the years include Derek Chisora, Lamon Brewster, Michael Scott, and Samuel Peter.
Although not a popular choice, Helenius is very confident the mantle can come to him. However, the chances of that happening is quite thin, given that there are many boxers ahead of him for the title shot. For example, Daniel Dubois is listed as the “regular” WBA heavyweight champion, meaning that he might be among the first to be considered for the WBA title shot against the winner of the Usyk v Joshua bout.
But for now, no one can say how things may go. We just have to wait for the fight, which comes up next month.
Written by: Leon Osamor
