BoxRec

12 rounds.

Zolkin was one of my favorite fighters during the '90s. But he was hittable and slow on his feet, and would have been an open target for the power punching Helenius. The Finn probably wins by TKO anytime between the seventh and 11th rounds.

There's a small chance that Zolkin, who was big, strong, and durable, might have used a mauling, inside attack to win. That's how Derek Chisora and Siarhei Liakhovich exposed Helenius's weaknesses, so maybe Alex could have pulled the trick too. But I doubt it.

Another possibility is that Zolkin takes a beating but remains on his feet and loses a decision. However that's also unlikely, given that Alex was vulnerable to cuts.

The talent differential between these two also points to a Helenius victory. In his prime, Helenius was a bonafide contender, always rated in the worldwide top-five or top-ten. He was more fluid than the mechanical Zolkin, who was essentially a top-15 or top-20 fighter.

On the subject of Zolkin, he was supposed to be Riddick Bowe's original opponent in 1996, who instead fought Andrew Golota. Apparently HBO executives soured on Alex and replaced him with the Foul Pole.

Given Bowe's poor conditioning in that fight (he weighed a doughy 252 lbs), it's entirely possible Zolkin would have won if given the chance. Bad break for Zolkin.

I also believe Zolkin vs Golota would have been a great match, with Alex having a serious chance of winning. I'd rate this bout as even odds, or 60/40 in favor of Golota.

Helenius by either a decision or late round stoppage after giving Zolkin a pounding with better punches.

Helenius's losses seem far far worse than Zolkin's. We are talking about a guy who was kayoed by Duhaupas and Washington in his prime. Duhaupas was journeyman/gatekeeper level and I wouldn't even put Washington at that level and they not only beat Helenius but knocked him out.

Cojimar 1946 wrote: ↑20 Sep 2023, 03:37 Helenius's losses seem far far worse than Zolkin's. We are talking about a guy who was kayoed by Duhaupas and Washington in his prime. Duhaupas was journeyman/gatekeeper level and I wouldn't even put Washington at that level and they not only beat Helenius but knocked him out.

But the Duhaupas and Washington fights happened well after Helenius's prime, which ended in 2011, with the Chisora fight. Afterwards Robert was mostly inactive for four years, returning to the ring full-time only in 2015, after which he was merely half the fighter he had once been.