Battle-tested road warrior Sherman “Tank” Williams has broken training camp and departed today for Finland, where he plans to land his “conch” punch to spoil undefeated Robert “The Nordic Nightmare” Helenius’ return to the ring this Saturday at their European throw-down in Helsinki.
“I’m going to take Finland by storm,” Williams proclaimed before his departure. “I’m going to do the same things I did to (Evander) Holyfield and (Chauncey) Welliver and make it three wins in a row.
“I really want to make a statement in this fight, especially against a 6′ 6″ undefeated guy fighting at home, to legitimize myself as a challenger for either of the Klitschko (Wladimir and Vitali) brothers or (Alexander) Povetkin. I think this will be a perfect forum to make that statement.”
World Boxing Organization (WBO) No. 10-ranked Williams (34-11-2, 19 KOs), the reigning WBO Asia Pacific and WBO Asian Boxing Council Championships, has traveled across the United States and around the world to fight in places like Macau, China, Germany twice, and Montreal.
“It doesn’t matter where I fight,” Williams insisted. “I am a world warrior, a modern-day pirate who goes where the treasures can be found. There’s always an underlying fact that somebody from this part of the world ain’t going to get a decision in Europe, but I feel that this opportunity is worth going over there to fight. I’ll fight wherever…Helsinki, Berlin, anywhere. I consider myself an international guy and there’s no place on this planet I wouldn’t fight as long as I bring my ‘Conch’ (over-hand right) punch with me.”
Former European champion Helenius has been out of action since last December 3 with a shoulder injury suffered during his highly-controversial 12-round split decision win over Derek Chisora. Helenius, ranked No. 13 by the (WBO), has knocked out former world heavyweight champions Sergei Liakhovich (TKO9), Samuel Peter (KO9) and Lamon Brewster (TKO8).
“Helenius has a methodical style and he’s confident,” Williams noted. “I like that he comes straight forward. He’s 6′ 6″, I’m 5′ 11″, but I know that he’s not going to fight down to me. Our styles will make for a very exciting fight.”
