Comments Thread For: Helenius, Father Explode at Sauerland During Wild Presser

[Jewish-Reptile]

One party wants to break contract other wants to uphold,this will go to EU high court if need be and contract upheld.all the while we lose a contender who at 30 months ago looked a potential world champion.

This is not only bad for his career but the division in its entirety.what a shame,we won't be seeing Robert in the ring any time soon.

[Alec900]

the following is from Finnish newspaper through my very rough translation:

Karl and Robert Helenius claim, that the contract that was presented to them in Helsinki,was very different from the one that Robert signed in Germany.Robert went to Germany alone,and signed the contract without reading it again.

Robert:Of course I have no prove,and I can't base on that.I was 23 at the time and green in this things and of course old businessmen spoke me over.

Karl says that the fees had split in half from what was originally agreed on. He says that for example Robert got 15 000€ from the fight with Lemon Brewster,when Brewster got 50 000€.

Robert: It was my own fault that I signed it without checking it with lawyers first.The took advantage of me and of course I believed of what they said.

Robert doesn't want to box for Sauerland anymore ever "because of how they have treated me and because the things I have found out,I don't want to box under their name"

Helenius says that Sauerlands attitude about hes injuries has been indifferent.
"Sauerland has a mass produce of fighters,if one gets injured they got an other one to take his place"

Karl Helenius says,that Sauerland didn't have an insurance for Robert and Robert had to pay the medical bills on his own.Sauerland covered some of the bills in debt.Karl says that Robert owes Sauerland "tens of thousands euros" from them.
Karl also says they try get Robert a fight through court decision.
"Robert fights again before the summer" Karl believes.


Sorry about the mistakes I may have made,second language

[Jam Jars]

More facts will follow, and it seems that Robert was royally screwed from day one. He claims - with his father - that Sauerland altered the contract before Robert signed it. He also says he "refuses to fight as a slave any longer". - Team Sauerland is actually starting to sound worse than Don King

What kind of moron in this day and age signs a contract without reading it? Especially one that affects your livelihood.

Sounds to me that after Sauerland has helped made him somewhat of a name, he's now decided he wants more money and is making up crap to get out of the contract.

[Alec900]

I have a kinda mixed feelings about this.on the other hand,I like Robert and I want to support my countryman,on the other hand,Karl Helenius is known in local boxing scene as an assh*le. so 50/50

[BattlingNelson]

the following is from Finnish newspaper through my very rough translation:

Karl and Robert Helenius claim, that the contract that was presented to them in Helsinki,was very different from the one that Robert signed in Germany.Robert went to Germany alone,and signed the contract without reading it again.

Robert:Of course I have no prove,and I can't base on that.I was 23 at the time and green in this things and of course old businessmen spoke me over.

Karl says that the fees had split in half from what was originally agreed on. He says that for example Robert got 15 000€ from the fight with Lemon Brewster,when Brewster got 50 000€.

Robert: It was my own fault that I signed it without checking it with lawyers first.The took advantage of me and of course I believed of what they said.

Robert doesn't want to box for Sauerland anymore ever "because of how they have treated me and because the things I have found out,I don't want to box under their name"

Helenius says that Sauerlands attitude about hes injuries has been indifferent.
"Sauerland has a mass produce of fighters,if one gets injured they got an other one to take his place"

Karl Helenius says,that Sauerland didn't have an insurance for Robert and Robert had to pay the medical bills on his own.Sauerland covered some of the bills in debt.Karl says that Robert owes Sauerland "tens of thousands euros" from them.
Karl also says they try get Robert a fight through court decision.
"Robert fights again before the summer" Karl believes.


Sorry about the mistakes I may have made,second language

Thanks for this.

Poor Robert. He is not the first or the last athlete to sign a contract without reading it or have experts looking it over. It would probably have been alright had he not been injured.

[Alec900]

no problem.if something else comes up,I'll let you know

[Ravens Fan]

Is the "Nordic Wet Dream" also going to blame Sauerland about the fact that he is not a very good fighter?

[Jamon1980]

to be honest, Robert Helenius lost that fight against Chisora, I don't know how the judges has Helenius ahead on points, was a bad decision. Helenius should not have fought with a shoulder injury.

[Slowhand]

What kind of moron in this day and age signs a contract without reading it? Especially one that affects your livelihood.

Sounds to me that after Sauerland has helped made him somewhat of a name, he's now decided he wants more money and is making up crap to get out of the contract.

Yes, it was a ****** thing to do - as Robert admits - but that doesn´t make it right. The truth is probably somewhere in between as it always is. I just hope they release Robert so he can fight again. The kid is 29 yo so he has plenty of time to make a fresh start.

[vacerra]

Robert Helenius feels deceived

Robert Helenius feels deceived

Kalle and Robert Helenius say boxing team cheated them for years.

Kalle Helenius, the father and coach of boxer Robert Helenius, went through the full spectrum of emotions while giving a press conference at a boxing gym in Porvoo.

The first emotion was anger.

“These years with Sauerland have been absolute hell,” Kalle Helenius said and loaded quite a shower of accusations against his son’s German boxing stable.

According to the father, Sauerland has trained his son wrong. This has resulted in injuries and the rehabilitation has not been appropriate. Helenius has been forced to fight with an injured arm, contracts have been made deceitfully and great amount of money has not been paid. In addition, Helenius has not been insured at all, but the team has “lent” him money to pay for the medical bills.

“Robert owes the team 50,000 euros,” lists the father.

Now they have cut themselves off from the German team. The Heleniuses would like to get rid of the team altogether, but Sauerland will not allow that. According to Kalle Helenius, the team says it owns the rights to the Finn for three more years. “On Monday I’ll go to the Porvoo police station and file a report on them. We want a court ruling that gives Robert a right to practise his profession,” Kalle Helenius said.

The heaviest accusation of the Heleniuses’ is that in 2007 Sauerland would have cheated Robert Helenius at the signing of the agreement. According to the father, his son did not know what kind of a contract he was signing.

“The contract that [Sports Director of Sauerland] Hagen Doering brought first to Helsinki was wonderful. It could not have been better.”

After that Robert Helenius travelled alone to Germany to sign the contract. According to Kalle Helenius, Sauerland then introduced a new text that the young Finn signed without reading.

“There were enormous changes in it. The sums for the fights had been cut to half of the original. Robert made the mistake of his life by signing it without reading it through.” The father gives one example of the sums: from the fight against ex-champion Lamon Brewster Helenius earned 15,000 euros, Brewster 50,000. In addition, the contract had a section that forbade Helenius from telling anyone about the details.

“It took three years before he told me,” the father said.

After that, emotions took over. Every now and again the father had to stop his speech and remain silent for long periods of time.

“After that, it has been absolute hell. A battle with Sauerland.” Robert Helenius was supposed to be present at the press conference as well, but because of a cancelled flight he was in Åland.

He took part in the press conference by phone.

“I was 23 or 24 when I signed the deal. I was so green with those matters. They had the opportunity to take advantage of me,” he said.

The last few years of Helenius have been filled with injuries that have ruined many fights. “They just punched the bag in the good old East Germany style, they had too much speed,” Helenius senior stated, blaming the training. They even tied the hand wraps wrong before the fights.

“Coach [Georg] Bramowski could neither train nor tie.” When the ligament from Helenius’s right shoulder snapped, the doctor of Sauerland said that it “is broken, but he can fight”. “When Robert informed coach Ulli Wegner, his response was ‘Quit complaining’.”

Now that he has shared what was on his mind, the elder Helenius is visibly relieved. “I have been threatened with trials and lawyers all Christmas. I hope that they sue me, because then it would be a huge media event in Germany.”

“I hear Nisse Sauerland [the owner of the team] is coming with two gorillas to talk some sense into pappy Helenius. I welcome them.” According to Kalle Helenius, people from Wladimir Klitschko’s team have contacted them.

“We trust that there will be a fight in Finland in 2015.”