Anthony Joshua will face Robert Helenius after Dillian Whyte was withdrawn from their scheduled fight due to an “adverse analytical result” in a random anti-doping test. The O2 Arena card had been at risk of cancellation but the decision was made to revive it with a replacement opponent for AJ.
The decision has drawn mixed reviews online, with many moaning that Helenius isn’t a strong enough opponent. But this way the undercard fighters still get paid and no management team in the world is putting their man in with a far stronger opponent than the one originally scheduled on less than a week’s notice. For all the armchair matchmaking, we were never getting Otto Wallin or a third fight with Andy Ruiz Jr this late in the day.
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So what do we have? Well there are arguments to be made on both sides about Helenius’ qualities. Let’s start with what the naysayers are pointing out about this fight. The big Swede fought as recently as last Saturday. While this is being used as a stick to beat him with, Helenius steamrolled rookie heavyweight Mika Mielonen in three rounds. Fighters have harder sparring sessions than this demolition job, so the fact it was so recent doesn’t preclude Helenius from being match-fit to face Joshua.
The other spanner being keenly thrown into the works by those who are never happy is Helenius’ first-round knockout loss to Deontay Wilder. Granted, it was a brutal loss. But it arrived against the best heavyweight puncher of this generation. Anyone can get caught in this most power-focused of divisions and it just so happens Helenius was. But a deeper look at his record suggests that his candidacy for this late-notice fight is valid.
Helenius is 32-4, with all his defeats coming against either former champions or world title challengers. ‘The Nordic Nightmare’s other three losses came to Gerald Washington, Dillian Whyte and Johan Duhaupas. Given the nature of the Washington defeat, an eighth-round knockout, there were some suggesting the American should have got the Joshua fight.
Washington is on the undercard at the O2 after all, facing Chisora. But at 41, he looks further into his slide than 39-year-old Helenius. The Swede has won four of his last five fights. Washington has lost three of his last five including his two most recent bouts.
Chisora, who was also discussed as a potential replacement, is riding a run of four losses in five. In terms of form, Helenius was the best of the three genuine, non-fanciful options. The social media contingent, those who think he should have fought Ruiz, Wallin or prime Mike Tyson instead, won’t agree, but this fight is the best of a bad bunch.
Helenius would never have got this assignment purely on merit, but his record is largely creditable. Wins over former heavyweight champions Lamon Brewster, Samuel Peter and Sergei Liakhovich marked him out as a contender at one stage. He’s beaten Brits like Chisora, Michael Sprott and Scott Gammer in the past. Helenius’ best recent successes were a pair of wins over once-touted prospect Adam Kownacki. The Pole was a sparkling 20-0 before running into Robert’s veteran fists. Two stoppage wins for Helenius proved he was not finished just yet.
The name of WBC champion Tyson Fury has unsurprisingly been invoked as someone who apparently would never do what Joshua is doing. The same ‘Gypsy King’ who fought Chisora in a heavyweight title defence, despite owning two wins over the 33-13 veteran already. Fury has also taken tune-ups aplenty against the likes of Sefer Seferi, Francesco Pianeta and Tom Schwarz. In his next bout he faces former UFC heavyweight king Francis Ngannou, whose 0-0 record as a pro boxer is inferior to that of Helenius by its very nature. As always though, some fans only see what they want to see.
Joshua vs Helenius is not a fight anyone wanted to see. But given the undercard and the occasion, it is better than no fight at all. It will benefit AJ to get some work in before his rumoured bout with Deontay Wilder. It doesn’t have the same pull as Whyte but it is also not the horrific matchmaking some doom-mongers are casting it as. Helenius doesn’t deserve this chance. But him having it is the best possible outcome at this late stage.
*18+ | BeGambleAware | Odds Subject To Change
