Anthony Joshua took out Robert Helenius in the seventh round at the O2 Arena on Saturday; Helenius had stepped in at short notice to fight former heavyweight champion Joshua after original opponent Dillian Whyte was pulled from the show after returning an adverse anti-doping finding
Anthony Joshua took out Robert Helenius inside seven rounds at the O2 Arena in London on Saturday.
Helenius surprised when he took Joshua into the second half of their contest but then with a single shot, a huge right cross to the jaw, Joshua extinguished his efforts, dropping him heavily at 1-27 of the seventh round.
Joshua was due to renew hostilities with old rival Dillan Whyte on this show. But that bout had to be cancelled after Whyte returned adverse analytic findings in the pre-fight anti-doping protocols.
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It left Joshua looking for a replacement opponent at just a week’s notice and Helenius, moments after he had taken a three-round victory over Mika Mielonen last weekend in Finland made himself available for this fight.
After being knocked out in the first round by Deontay Wilder, Helenius was seizing an opportunity to return to action at the top tier of the heavyweight division. He began with spirit too, rushing out in the first round to cuff punches at Joshua’s guard.
Joshua, a former unified champion, is determined to reclaim a title and for him Helenius was just another step on the road back.
He was patient, he softened Helenius up with the occasional combination and then delivered a brutal ending.
Joshua should be on course to fight Wilder himself. Malik Scott, the American’s trainer revealed that fight was effectively “locked in” for early next year.
Picking up a second consecutive victory with new trainer Derrick James in his corner, and his first stoppage win since 2020, won’t have hurt his confidence ahead of that potential clash with the division’s biggest puncher.
On the undercard Filip Hrgovic held on to his status as the mandatory challenger for the IBF heavyweight title, held by Oleksandr Usyk along with the WBO and WBA belts. But it took until the 12th and final round for Hrgovic to find a stoppage.
He hurt Australia’s Dempsey McKean with a right to the jaw but got away with clubbing blows to the back of the head before the referee halted the Australian.
British heavyweight Derek Chisora, once a world title challenger but now at the very tail end of his career, laboured to a unanimous decision over 41-year-old American Gerald Washington.
Chisora took the slow paced 10-rounder 98-93, 97-94 and 96-94 the judges’ scorecards.
