Former heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua knocked out Finnish stand-in Robert Helenius with a single punch in the seventh round on Saturday to keep himself on track for a lucrative payday against American Deontay Wilder next year.
Helenius, who stepped in after Britain’s Dillian Whyte was ruled out of the non-title fight by a doping test a week ago, lasted longer than expected but was felled by a right hand from Joshua one minute and 27 seconds into the round.
The crowd at London’s 02 Arena had grown restless with some booing already in the third round, and many were heading for the exits by the time Joshua finally delivered the knockout blow.
The big Briton looked nervous and stiff at the start of the fight, and he was strangely tentative when Helenius, who fought in Finland only a week ago, appeared to be out on his legs and ready for the taking.
But Joshua eventually found his range and landed the decisive blow, sending Helenius crashing to the canvas.
The referee, Victor Loughlin, stopped the contest immediately, and Joshua celebrated by fist-bumping fans and sharing a swig of a drink with watching former UFC champion Conor McGregor.
Helenius meanwhile received medical attention and some oxygen before getting back on his feet.
Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn was pleased with the performance, and he believes that the knockout was a sign of things to come from the 26-year-old.
“I knew this would happen, everyone’s talking about the new AJ and the old AJ and after two or three rounds the crowd starts to get a little bit impatient,” Hearn told the BBC.
“He finds the measure of his right hand and he delivers one of the knockouts of the year on Robert Helenius… this is just the AJ you’re going to see now.
“He’s still got to be more aggressive than we saw tonight but there’s a lot on the line.”
The knockout was the 23rd of Joshua’s career, taking his record to 26 wins and three defeats, but his first since December 2020 when he beat Bulgarian Kubrat Pulev in a WBA, IBO, IBF and WBO title defence in London.
Joshua lost those belts to Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk in September 2021, and he is now looking to regain them in a rematch next year.
There has been talk of Joshua fighting Wilder, the former WBC champion, in that rematch, and Hearn believes that it would be a great fight for both men.
“It’s hard for him to get up for fights like this,” said Hearn. “The Wilder fights, the Fury fights, that’s what he wants.”
Joshua will need to keep winning if he wants to be considered in the same breath as Wilder and reigning champion Tyson Fury. A win over Helenius is a good start, but he will need to step up his game if he wants to be considered a genuine contender for the world title again.
