In clash of heavyweight giants, Anthony Joshua brutally knocked out Robert Helenius in front of a bustling O2 arena.
Joshua walked out to a huge reception at the capacity O2 arena, the same venue where he fought American boxer Jermaine Franklin in April.
The fight started off at a slow pace, with both men tentatively attempting finding there range. Helenius got the better of many early exchanges, landing multiple punishing jabs to the nose of the Brit.
The performance of Joshua was initially met by boos by the London crowd, as it was widely expected that ‘AJ’ would knock out Helenius without much trouble within a few rounds. However that all changed once Joshua, gradually worked his way into the fight using advice from his new trainer Derrick James, and calculatedly broke down the Finnish fighter until he landed a monstrous right hand in Round 7 that sent Helenius flying to the mat, with referee Victor Loughlin immediately waving the fight off.
Anthony Joshua on Next Move
After celebrating, Joshua quickly jumped out of the ring and proceeded to do a victory lap with his supporters at ringside, which included notable stars such as UFC fighter Conor McGregor, and KSI who fights Tommy Fury on October 14th.
In a post fight interview with Ade Oladipo, Joshua refused to confirm the wide spread speculation surrounding a potential Deontay Wilder fight, taking place in the 4th quarter of 2023.
However, Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn gave the fans an eagerly anticipated update.
Hearn said: “We’ve got a three fight plan, it was Robert Helenius, Deontay Wilder and then Tyson Fury.
He delivered one of the knockouts of the year and we now believe he can go and beat Deontay Wilder.
We’ll look to try and close the deal over the next couple of days, and Joshua’s ready for the fight. He’s given everything to the sport, he’s given everything to the British Boxing, and he’s ready for some big marquee fights.”
The mega fight is rumoured to be the held in Saudi Arabia, with potential organisers and executives from Saudi company Skills Challenge in attendance at the O2. Joshua will at home in the desert, having held his rematches with Andy Ruiz and Oleksandr Usyk in the Middle Eastern province, where as it will only be the second time that Deontay Wilder has fought outside of his home nation of the USA.
Do you believe Anthony Joshua can beat Wilder and go onto fight Fury? Or do you think it’s a step too far? Let us know who you think wins in the comments section below.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
