Anthony Joshua vs Robert Helenius LIVE: Fight updates and results in heavyweight clash, with AJ looking to build momentum… but Derek Chisora and Gerald Washington are on now

That’s it from us! We hope you enjoyed our live updates from this evening’s card at the O2. Make sure you tune in next time! 

Hearn on the fans booing AJ, he said: It’s a bit disappointing. I know everyone was looking for the big KO. I know everyone had had a few beers. 

Hearn said: He wants to be active. Two times will probably be difficult. The Wilder fight will probably happen in January. But he’s been around the game long enough. He knows that fights don’t always get made. 

Hearn said: He can beat Deontay Wilder comfortably. He can also get beaten. But, it’s good that he got seven rounds in against a taller boxer. It’s hard to replicate the power of Deontay Wilder. If he lands a right hand like that on Wilder, the fight will be over. Visa versa. 

Speaking at the post-fight press conference, Hearn said: The old AJ was just an inexperienced guy that didn’t really know what he was doing. Now it’s just about him doing this his way. He will still give entertainment but he won’t be taking risks like before. 

AJ is still out in the arena with the fans. He’s taking pictures and spending time with his fans before making his way back stage. It’s safe to say he’s soaking up the moment.

Joshua speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live: “It’s a fickle sport, you’ve got to be real about this industry and not get caught up. I’ve done my job tonight.”

On whether he felt under pressure to knock Helenius out early doors after Wilder’s result against him: “People need to leave me alone, this is my time in the ring. Let me keep doing what I want to do. Helenius, I told him to come again. I think he can cause people a lot of problems. I don’t want to say too much. I want to see you again two more times this year. Thanks to Eddie.”

ANTHONY JOSHAUA KNOCKS HELENIUS OUT WITH ONE PUNCH! AJ knocked Helenius out and stormed straight out of the ring to go and celebrate with those that are ring side. He’s just done a lap of honour and fist bumped the crowd. Safe to say he’s happy to have gotten back to his KO ways. 

Helenius lands a jab flush on AJ’s face and follows it up with a quick combination. Joshua brushes it off and repositions before firing back with a left hook. The Nordic Nightmare continues to come forwards and looks to land a left hook. 

The fans aren’t impressed though… lots of booing. 

AJ lands a strong right hand before following up with a left. The Nordic Nightmare wobbles but remains on his feet. The pair return to the middle of the ring and continue to trade blows before holding. 

The refs separates them and Helenius lands a dangerous right before following up with a combination. He continues to threaten AJ and throw 1-2’s. While AJ tries to maintain his distance. 

AJ connects with a lovely right hook and makes Helenius stumble. However, he failed to follow it up. The Nordic Nightmare lived to tell the tale. 

AJ looking to use that left jab early in the fourth round. He manages to get Helenius on the ropes and LETS HIS HANDS GO! It looked as though it could have been devastating but the Nordic Nightmare managed to survive the punishment. 

Helenius responded with some body shots in the final minute of the round before AJ landed another powerful right hand. He followed it up with a jab to the face before landing another right hand. 

Helenius is looking to target AJ’s body. But, the pair spent the first minute of the round just walking around the ring with each other. The fans are furious. You could hear them booing from a mile off. 

However, their tune changed once AJ got the Nordic Nightmare on the ropes and unleashed a strong right hand. But, again, he didn’t let his hands go! C’mon AJ… lets see some confidence. 

Some good head movement from AJ in the opening couple of seconds sees him avoid Helenius’ efforts. AJ – who fighting behind a higher guard than against Jermaine Franklin – throws some nice jabs while keeping his distance. 

AJ is being clinical. Picking his moments and throwing his body weight behind his punches when he decides to unleash. However, I’d like to see a little more output from the British boxer. 

Helenius did well to land a thudding body shot with 20 seconds left on the clock. Bit, it didn’t appear to wind AJ as he countered with a right hand.

Helenius throws the first punch of the fight but AJ sets the tone for what fans can expect from him. He lets his hands go and follows it up with a lovely jab. He catches the Nordic nightmare nicely with 1 minute 30 seconds on the clock before retreating to fight at distance. 

Helenius throws a few shots of his own and looks to double up with some combinations. But he fails to land anything substantial on the British boxer in the opening round. 

The fans are going wild, Conor McGregor is going wild! That means one thing… AJ IS COMING!

No surprise… Robert Helenius is greeted by boos as he makes his way to the ring. However, the Nordic nightmare doesn’t appear to be phased.

Not long until we see Anthony Joshua face Robert Helenius! What are your predictions for the fight? Will AJ win and can he stop the Finish boxer in a similar fashion to how Deontay Wilder did? 

Derek Chisora beats Gerald Washington on points. They judges scored the bout: 98-93, 97-94, 96-94 in favour of the British heavyweight. 

Both boxers come out flying for the 10th and final round. They both exchange blows in the opening few seconds before clutching onto each other. The ref is forced to seperate them. 

Chisora follows it up with a lovely combination to the body. Before catching Washington with a straight jab to the face. Washington catches Chisora with an uppercut shortly after and follows it up with a few body combinations. 

Chisora starts looking for the KO with big gapping right hands. He leaves himself exposed but Washington doesn’t maximise. 

Another aggressive start from Chisora, commanding the centre of the ring. Meanwhile, Washington is staying active and making Chisora move. The American is looking to tire the Brit out before launching his attack. Washington’s corner are shouting for 1-2 over the top. 

Big right hook from Chisora comes just before the minute mark. Meanwhile, Washington throws exactly what his coaches have been asking for just moments later. The pair continued to trade blows in the centre of the ring before Chisora landed another looping hook. 

Chisora is putting all of his power into these punches. He’s certainly trying to get the American out of there sooner rather than later. Meanwhile, Washington is looking to box at distance and catch Chisora with an uppercut when he comes in close. 

Nevertheless, Chisora is continuing to be aggressive. He’s forcing Washington back and favouring that right hook. Washington finished the round well – landing a few combinations before strolling back to his corner.

Right hook from Chisora lands flush on the side of Washington’s heading in the opening 30 seconds of the seventh round. Chisora follows up with a right jab just seconds later. Washington is eager to use his range but Chisora keeps creeping in. 

Washington lands a nice left jab with 40 seconds on the clock, he looks to follow it up with another but can’t. However, just 20 seconds later he landed a lovely combination of punches with the bell saving Chisora. 

Chisora looked to utalise his left jab during the opening stages of the sixth round, while Washington was trying to connect with a right uppercut. Neither boxer managed to land their desired shot. 

Instead, they clutched in the middle of the ring – forcing the ref to step in a separate them. During the clutch though, Chisora did land some body shots. 

Washington then managed to land two quick jabs to Chisora’s face. He looked to be a little wobbly after them but followed it up with a powerful right to the body. He continued to chase Washington around the ring before connecting with a left hook. 

Washington appears to have more in the tank though… I feel Chisora is going to tire heading into the second half of this fight. 

Chisora may be struggling with his eye but that won’t stop him. He’s named Derek War Chisora for a reason. He’s came flying out of the corner and pushed Washington onto the ropes. He looked to land a couple of body shots but the American did well to smother him. 

Washington followed up with a few combinations of his own just a few seconds later before Chisora landed a powerful body shot. You could almost hear the wind go from the American. 

Washington responded with a nice upper cut with 24 seconds on the clock. 

Chisora’s eye is looking a little worse for wear. The ref asked for it to be checked before the start of the fourth round. The British boxer then got caught with a strong right hand just seconds into the fight – I really hope it doesn’t put an end to this contest. 

Chisora was guilty of holding a lot during this round. Perhaps it has to do with his eye? Looks pretty swollen from ringside. And Washington is starting to find his groove so he can’t risk getting clipped again. 

Having said that, he did land a lovely right hook with 30 seconds left on the clock. It comes after a barrage of body shots from the American boxer.  

Chisora came out with a point to prove in the third round and looked to land a series of body shots. Meanwhile Washington threw a quick right left combination before going for the uppercut. Thankfully for Chisora, it didn’t land. 

Chisora is looking for the right hook more often than not. But, he’s lunging in and leaving himself exposed to the counter. As the rounds go on, he will need to be careful of that. 

Chisora comes flying out of the corner and chases Washington around the ring. He lands a few body shots before pushing the American onto the ropes. The ref was forced to separate them as a result. 

Big overhand right from Chisora lands on the side of Washington’s head. He follows it up with a left jab just seconds later. However, Washington does well to land a few quick combinations of his own. 

Washington is certainly settling into this fight and managed to knock Chisora down just before the bell! 

Both boxers get a feel for each other in the opening round of the rgiht. Chisora lands the first punch before clutching Washington. Chisora also takes command of the centre of the ring as the fans cheer his name loud and clear at the O2. 

Washtington is looking to box at distance and keep Chisora moving. However, it’s Chisora who is landing more body shots when the pair get close.  

Chisora got the fans excited with a minute and 18 seconds left on the clock, forcing Washington onto the ropes and unleashing a number of body shots. But, Chisora’s foot work is a little sloppy. 

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Derek War Chisora will be making his way to the ring soon to take on Gerald Washington. While Eddie Hearn has just confirmed RODRIGUEZ vs EDWARDS!

Hrgovic wins!! A little controversial that. I would like to see that back on the reply but… it looked as though Hrgovic caught him on the back of the head. It saw Demsey completely loses his legs – the ref was forced to wave the contest off. 

Nevertheless, Filip Hrgovic stops Demsey McKean in round 12. Hrgovic remains the IBF heavyweight mandatory challenger, next in line for a shot at the Oleksandr Usyk vs Daniel Dubois winner on Aug 26th.

Demsey lands three body shots in quick succession and looks to throw a right hook but Hrgovic does well to dodge it. The pair continue to trade blows in the centre of the ring before Demsey backed Hrgovic into the corner.

Demsey is guilty of smothering his work at the moment… but I think that’s down to fatigue. He’s getting close so he can’t get caught and take his rest when he can. 

Demsey is throwing a higher volume of punches while Hrgovic is picking his moments. Perhaps that is why Demsey looks more tired and appears to the one instigating the clutches.

A lovely right overhand from Hrgovic catches Demsey on the face. The Croatian looks to follow it up with a body shot but couldn’t quite connect. Demsey finishes the round with a combination of punches to the body. 

Both men are fatigued. They’re taking their rest when they can and clutching onto each other more often than not. It’s safe to say this is somewhat of a slugfest. 

That being said, Demsey landed a lovely right hand and forced Hrgovic back. He followed it up with a powerful body shot just a few seconds later. Although, he was warned by the ref are bull boozing Hrgovic into the ropes. 

Hrgovic responded well by pulling off some quick combinations and landing a right overhand onto the side of Demsey’s head with 20 seconds left on the clock. Demsey looks tired… 

Hrgovic finished the round by getting Demsey on the ropes and unleashing a flurry of body shots.

Demsey gets Hrgovic on the ropes early and throws a few combinations finishing with an upper cut. However, the Crotation did well to turn Demsey and get his back off the ropes. Hrgovic followed up with a powerful right hand followed by a left. 

The pair continued to exchange blows in the centre of the ring before clutching on to each other. Demsey finished the round well, landing a right before the bell. 

Hrgovic looks to land an uppercut early on but fails to catch the Australian. He retreats before launching in with a strong right hand. Demsey grabs hold of Hrgovic and forces him back onto the ropes before the ref pulls them apart. 

The pair continue to train body shots but both men look tired. A lot of swinging coming from both men. And a lot of holding in the final 20 seconds of the round. Nevertheless, it was Demsey who finished the round best, landing a body shot before the bell. 

Hrgovic landed some lovely body shots in the opening few seconds of the sixth round. It didn’t take too much out of Demsey as he responded with a powerful left. The pair continued to trade punches in the centre with Hrgovic landing more than his Australian opponent. 

However, the Aussie’s defensive work was impressive – once again operating on various levels to avoid being caught flush by the Australian. But, just like last round, there was a lot of holding… 

Hrgovic goes for an overhand right early on as he looks to cause some damage. He failed to connect but sent a warning to his opponent. Demsey following this up with a few quick jabs before being caught on the body. 

The pair continued to exchange blows in the centre of the ring with the Croatian landing some powerful body shots. However, there was a lot more holding than I would have liked to see. 

Round finished with a lovely right from Hrgovic  He caught Demsey flush on the face. 

Hrgovic is leading with the right before following up with his left jab. Demsey is doing well to keep his distance and counter. He landed a lovely right with 1 minute 50 seconds left on the clock… causing the fans to gasp. 

He continued with a couple of lovely combinations that saw Hrgovic wobble. However, the Croatian recovered well and forced Demsey into the corner – unleashing a combination of shots before the Aussie grabbed onto him. 

Demsey looked to two more combination punches during the third round. Hrgovic kept a higher guard and countered with a right jab. Both fighters were told off for holding. 

Hrgovic landed a lovely left hook with 1 minute 30 seconds left on the clock but it didn’t seem to phase Demsey too much. He finished the round with a well-timed left to the body after exchanging blows in the middle of the ring. 

A much more active round for Demsey. He came out looking to land some body shots on the Croatian. Meanwhile Hrgovic  was looking to connect with the right hand to the ribs. 

Some lovely defensive work from Demsey saw the Croatian struggle to unleash his full power. Demsey continued to operate on different levels throughout the remainder of the round. However, he did get caught with two jabs to the face before the bell went. 

Both fighters getting a feel for each other and finding their range in the opening round of the fight. It was Hrgovic who commanded the centre of the ring for the rist round and threw a higher volume of punches but there wasn’t must between the two. 

IBF No.1 Hrgovic risks his mandatory position against 22-0 Southpaw McKean over 12 rounds as the Heavyweight action continues here at The O2!

Out of the quagmire of yet another drugs controversy, into the 02.

Back in the doghouse howling his innocence , Dillian Whyte. On the comeback trail again, Anthony Joshua

So it goes with British boxing just now. 

While the wait goes on  for Joshua, Wilder Usyk and Fury to fight each other, Finnish veteran Helenius puts his wilderness holiday on to give AJ tune up. At least that’s the idea.

In a fortnight Daniel Dubois will give Usyk a run-out for his money in Poland.

This is not the first time AJ has been forced to find a last-minute replacement. The same happened in 2019 with Jarrell Miller.

The American heavyweight tested positive for banned substances, putting an end to their scheduled bout.

As a result, Andy Ruiz Jr stepped in and caused an upset with a seventh-round TKO.

However, Joshua did say he had a health issue leading up to the 2019 fight – which saw him lose his WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO titles.

Joshua went on to reclaim his titles six months later – beating Ruiz in their rematch after the Mexican admitted to under-preparing for their fight.

Nevertheless, AJ cruised to a 118-110, 118-110, 119-109 points victory against Ruiz – who weighed in at 283lb, 15lb heavier than their first fight.

AJ will be hoping to skip the heartbreak this time around and beat Helenius at his first time of asking.

THE TOWEL GOES IN! JOHNNY FISHER HAS BEATEN DIRTY HARRY…

Fisher landed a lovely right hook, forcing Armstrong onto the ropes. He followed it up with some quick combinations and sent Dirty Harry crumbling to the canvas. The ref gave Armstrong the count and he made it back his feet… but not for long. 

Fisher came gunning forwards and landed another right hook before following up with a left. Armstrong was moments away from hitting the canvas again before his corner threw in the towel. 

Good footwork from Fisher in the opening 20 seconds saw him land a lovely right hand to the body before retreating. He’s looking quick when throwing those shots. He’s in and out before Armstrong can counter. 

Armstrong goes down in the final 10 seconds but it’s not a knock down. It looked more like rugby as Fisher bull boozed him over. 

Armstrong started to utilise his left jab more in the fifth round and followed them up with a right-hand to the body. However, Fisher looked full of energy heading into the final minute of the round – working on various levels defensively.

He caught Armstrong with a lovely right before the bell went. Had there been more time in the round… who knows if he could have followed it up!  

Fisher makes contact first in the fourth round, landing two jabs in quick succession. He followed it up with a lovely combination to the body, but Armstrong countered well. 

The ref was forced to separate both men and give Fisher a warning for his comments. However, that didn’t seem to phase him as he finished the round by getting Dirty Harry on the ropes. He landed several combinations causing Armstrong’s legs to buckle. However, Dirty Harry stayed on his feet and saw the round out. 

Armstrong is throwing a high volume of punches but is struggling to land them and cause any real damage. Meanwhile, Fisher is biding his time and picking his moments, throwing powerful combinations. 

Armstrong did manage to catch Fisher will an overhand right in the final 40 seconds of the round, causing fans inside the O2 to gasp. Armstrong followed this up with a couple of body shots before looking for the upper cut. 

I am sat next to a huddle of Johnny Fisher fans and it’s safe to say they are excited by what they’re seeing… and I’m not surprised. Fisher followed up his electric first round with a composed start to the second. 

However, Armstrong did well to land a couple of quick combinations early on before Fisher raised his guard. Armstrong continued to look for the body shots and produced some pretty fancy foot work but it didn’t seem to trouble Fisher too much.

Fisher landed a lovely left hand flush onto the face of Armstrong with 34 seconds left on the clock but Armstrong responded with a right hook in the closing seconds of the round. 

What a start for Johnny Fisher! He’s floored Armstrong in the opening 10 seconds of the first round. Having taken the full count, Armstrong looked to box at distance but Fisher did well to pin him on the ropes and unleash a combination of punches – causing Dirty Harry some serious issues with more than a minute and a half on the clock. 

Fisher did well to work the body and dodge Dirty Harry’s counter punches. Fisher’s left jab continued to look dangerous throughout the round and he pushed Armstrong onto his back foot. 

Exciting start to the fight!

Johnny Fisher jumps up to 10 rounders to challenge for the first pro title of his career against Harry Armstrong. They will be fighting for the Southern Area Heavyweight Title and it’s safe to say the atmosphere it electric here at the O2. The fans are behind Fisher… but can he do the business? Only time will tell! 

Joshua’s clash against Helenius will give boxing fans an indication of how AJ compares to his rival Deontay Wilder ahead of their planned heavyweight bout.

Wilder knocked the Finish boxer out inside two minutes of their bout. While Gerald Washington – who is fighting Derek Chisora on the Saturday – knocked Helenius out after the 8th round of their clash.

Therefore, AJ will be looking to stop the 39-year-old early on given the fact his bout with the Bronze Bomber is yet to be confirmed.

Eddie Hearn told Mail Sport that Saudi Arabia reps will be ringside for AJ’s bout with Helenius.

He said that they will be watching the British boxer in action with a view of signing the Wilder fight afterwards.

However, it won’t be plain sailing for AJ on Saturday night. He was originally meant to face Dillian Whyte in a rematch.

But, he was forced to change opponent after Whyte returned ‘adverse analytical findings’ in a pre-fight drugs test carried out by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA).

Anthony Joshua tipped the scales at 250lbs head of Saturday’s bout against Robert Helenius, making him 5.4lbs lighter than his previous fight against Jermaine Franklin.

Joshua weighed in at a career heaviest of 255.4lbs for his bout against Franklin and secured his first win since beating Kubrat Pulev in December 2020.

However, fans were hoping the additional weight would help him secure a knockout against the American. Instead, he beat the 24-year-old via unanimous decision.

‘To get the news on Saturday was really disappointing, not only for us but for Anthony Joshua and for the fans. But we got to work, and we have done what we’re good at – and we have managed to keep the show on.

‘AJ has been unbelievable throughout this whole process. He is someone who is ready to fight having trained for 12 weeks in Dallas with Derrick James. He has always been a great pro, but this just shows me again the hunger he has for the sport. He wants to go out there this Saturday in front of a sold-out O2 and perform. There were a lot of options. But we had to make sure it was the right fight for the right deal.

‘I think Robert Helenius is a good fight. Yes, he lost to Deontay Wilder but that was by a shot that would have probably knocked out a horse! But he came to fight. He can really punch, he’s 6ft 8in and he won at the weekend. Ultimately there is criticism in whatever you do, but I actually think this is a tricky and dangerous fight.’

Helenius has a professional record of 32-4. As eluded to earlier, his last win came three days ago against Mielonen. 

Before that, he suffered a devastating first-round knockout to Wilder in New York.

His most notable wins are against both Chisora and Adam Kownacki.

Helenius made his professional debut in 2008 against Gene Pukall, where he would win via first-round TKO.

His first real test came two years later when he fought for the European Union heavyweight title against Gregory Tony.

Helenius defeated Tony via sixth-round TKO and would go on to defend the title four times.

He came the European champion in 2011 after defeating Derek Chisora on points in his home country. 

His first professional defeat came in 2015 when he was knocked out by Johann Duhaupas. 

The Finnish heavyweight has since lost to Dillian Whyte, Gerald Washington and Deontay Wilder. 

Born in Stockholm, Helenius lived in Sweden until the age of two before moving to Finland.

The heavyweight star holds both Finnish and Swedish citizenship and has represented Sweden a few times after having a dispute with the Finnish boxing association. 

Helenius currently resides in Lumparland municipality in Aland. 

He began training under his father at the age of 5. In 2000, the Finnish fighter won bronze at the European Championships in Patras.

His breakthrough year came in 2006 when he finished second in the European Amateur Boxing Championships in Plovdiv.

Since the 1st of June 2019 when AJ faced Andy Ruiz in New York’s Maddison Square Garden it’s been clear to see since this night he has never been the same.

He steps back into the ring this Saturday to face Robert Helenius at the O2, could we finally see the return of AJ’s box office fighting style that first caused his meteoric rise to be Heavyweight Champion of the world.

George Groves is also looking for an exciting version of Joshua, ‘Let’s see some old school American flair.’ Everyone wants to see it, so what has been holding AJ back since that night in New York?

READ MORE BELOW….

Age: 39

Stance: Orthodox

Height: 6ft 6in 

Reach: 79″ 

Record: 32-4-0

Age: 33

Stance: Orthodox

Height: 6ft 6in 

Reach: 82″

Record: 25-3-0

Anthony Joshua received a a good luck gift from Conor McGregor ahead of his clash with Dillian Whyte’s stand-in Robert Helenius.

McGregor gifted Joshua a set of his ‘Forged’ stout beers, alongside a tweet heralding the professionalism of the former heavyweight champion. 

The UFC fighter wrote: ‘This man @anthonyjoshua is the definition of class, quality, and loyalty! What him and @EddieHearn have built is just absolute magic!

‘I cannot wait to witness AJ Powerhouse do work this weekend and live from ringside! Wow! Honored! Let’s go! @ForgedStout @MatchroomBoxing.’ 

Boxing gave a collective groan this week when an aged Finnish heavyweight who looks more like the Yeti than the Nordic Nightmare, as he calls himself, was named as the replacement opponent for Anthony Joshua this Saturday night.

Ticket holders for the 02 are still agonising over whether to seek a refund or turn up in case a proper fight breaks out.

Public opinion, on this occasion, does somewhat less than justice to Robert Helenius. It may not be setting the highest of bars but If anything, he is a marginal improvement on the drugs-tested Dillian Whyte. Nor does the perception of Helenius as a deputy fall guy do anything to take the heat off Joshua.

READ MORE BELOW…

Hello and welcome to Mail Sport’s live blog as Anthony Joshua takes on Robert Helenius at the O2 with Derek Chisora set to face Gerald Washington. Make sure you stay tuned for all the updates from the undercard and main event!