Heavyweight boxer Robert “Nordic Nightmare” Helenius is set to take on Germany’s Erkan Teper in an IBF title fight on September 29th in Waldenbuch, Germany. The odds predict a tough away match for Helenius.
“Although I’ve boxed in Germany for six years, I’ve never been to Waldenbuch. Yes it’s an away match but I don’t think that that will affect me,” says Robert Helenius. “I’ve been wanting to fight Teper for a long time now. This fight will make anything possible for me. After I win I’ll be in line for those really big fights!”
Doping, ranking & old men
Erkan Teper is ranked 28th in the world according to BoxRec and 7th on the International Boxing Federation list. Helenius can be found in place 48 in the BoxRec ranking.
“When Robert wins he should go to at least 7th place on IBF ranking list but it’s all up to those old men at IBF to decide so nothing is written in stone. But it should be a significant step up on all lists,” says Helenius’s manager Markus Sundman.
Erkan Teper was caught for doping in 2015, a fact the Helenius team is fully aware of.
“We can’t get any guarantees before the fight but they will do tests directly afterwards, since it’s a title fight,” Markus Sundman adds.
A tough fight – according to the odds
The odds predict that the fight will be a tough one for Helenius. Erkan Teper is the favourite for the home fight in Germany.
“Teper beat me in the Bundesliga as an amateur. On the other hand, I’ve sparred with him many times and knocked him down with a body punch,” says Robert Helenius.
“Robert needs to think tactically during the fight. In fact, Teper is so good that Robert needs to be both tactical and technical to beat Teper in Waldenbuch,” says Helenius’s coach Johan Lindström.