The memory is gone after the hard blow – Robert Helenius woke up in the ambulance unaware of the result: “It was scary”

Training has been the best way to process the worst loss of his career for Robert Helenius. He is still working but does not yet want to make any announcement about the future. I’m turning 40 soon, so the question is whether I’ll be able to push one last time, he says.

In October, Robert Helenius faced his biggest match in his career. A victory over Deontay Wilder and the doors to the really big arenas would perhaps open.

But the match against Wilder only had time to start before it was over for the Borgåboxer. Wilder floored Helenius in the first round.

Helenius lay in the ring for a long time after Wilder’s right hammer and was treated by medical personnel. He was then able to walk out of the arena but was taken to hospital for a check-up, but these are events of which he has no recollection.

– I don’t remember leaving the ring, only that I woke up in the ambulance and asked how the match had gone. I have no memory before that and I think we were in the dressing room with the doctors for an hour.

– The coach was worried as I did not know who he and those around him were. It was scary waking up in the ambulance but that’s the sport. It’s all or nothing, says Helenius when he is a guest on Svenska Yle’s program After Nine.

Sad that he didn’t get to show what he can do

Helenius says he processed the loss to Wilder by starting light training almost immediately – he simply feels better with physical activity.

– I have to use up my strength to keep my psyche in good condition, he says.

Half a year after the match against Wilder, it is precisely how it ended that upsets Helenius the most.

– There was a gap of a year after my last victory and I had been to three different training camps and was ready to win. Then an accident happened in the match and it was a bit sad.

– If it had happened in the seventh or eighth round, it wouldn’t have been so dangerous, then I would have had to show that I can do this. But he had practiced well on that exact stroke, he says.

Thinking about the future

Wilder’s punch caused the third knock of Helenius’ career. He says that as an 18-year-old he promised himself that he would stop boxing after the third knock.

– I want a life after boxing, but we’ll see. I haven’t decided yet. I’m turning 40 soon, so the question is whether I’ll be able to push one last time.

– Boxing is not the whole of life. I have children and I will probably find a job, he says.

Helenius certifies that he has not suffered any brain damage during his career. He constantly undergoes various checks.

– At least once a year I go for an MRI, before every match. And especially after knocks, you have to have X-rays to see that there have not been unnecessary bruises on the brain.

– We have a good grasp of it. The same doctor has been looking at my brain since I was 18 and has seen no deterioration. It is probably in good condition, he says.