Former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua will take on Robert Helenius in 12-round bout Saturday, August 12 at the O2 Arena in London, England. Joshua (25-3, 22 KOs) was originally scheduled to face Dillian Whyte, but Whyte was knocked off the card after failing a drug test. Helenius (32-4, 21 KOs) stepped in on just five days notice after participating in a fight last week.
The fight was originally scheduled for PPV, but now will be streamed live on DAZN starting at 2 p.m. ET.
Joshua is hoping to put his name back in the mix for a title shot down the road or possibly a non-title superfight against Deontay Wilder. The 33-year-old remains a huge draw overseas and was expecting a huge crowd for the third fight against Whyte. Joshua is mostly still sort of riding a win over Wladimir Klitschko on April 29, 2017, where he became the unified heavyweight champion. He lost his titles in a major upset to Andy Ruiz on June 1, 2019, but regained the titles by outpointing Ruiz in a 12-round decision on December 7, 2019. He lost the titles to Oleksandr Usyk in 2021 and lost a rematch a year later.
Helenius, 39, just fought last week and quickly dispatched Mike Mielonen with a third-round knockout. His biggest fight to date was a first-round KO loss to Wilder on October 15. He has two wins over former ranked heavyweight Adam Kownacki.
Joshua is a -1600 favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook while Helenius is the underdog at +850.
Full Card for Anthony Joshua vs. Robert Helenius
- Main event: Anthony Joshua KO-7 Robert Helenius (1:27)
You do get up from those #JoshuaHelenius | pic.twitter.com/1LHhhvr6We
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) August 12, 2023
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