Former two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua is ready to impress on Saturday night, when he faces Robert Helenius at the O2 Arena in London.
Helenius comes in as a late replacement, after original opponent Dillian Whyte was removed from the fight after testing positive for a banned substance.
Last Saturday, Helenius picked up stay-busy stoppage victory – and backed away from a family vacation to accept a last-minute offer to compete in London.
Should Joshua prevail, he will move forward to a potential showdown with former WBC champion Deontay Wilder.
Back in October of last year, Wilder blew away Helenius in one round.
There will certainly be comparisons between the performances by Joshua and Wilder – when it comes to Helenius.
“I can’t fail. That’s good pressure. Fight hard and win,” Joshua said.
“There’re always going to be comparisons, but this is my fight with Helenius. Not Wilder’s fight, or anyone else’s fight. It’s just me and him.”
Because there is so much at stake, Joshua will not overlook the danger of Helenius.
“It’s the wrong mindset with Helenius. He is going to roll the dice. What’s he got to lose? It’s going to be a good fight but I want to take him out in round one if I can. I need to take him out. Helenius has got to worry about me, and I’ve got to worry about myself,” Joshua said.
Joshua, in his second fight with new trainer Derrick James, will look to be more impressive than he was in his last outing. After suffering back to back defeats at the hands of Oleksandr Usyk, the British star returned to the ring in April and won a tougher than expected twelve round unanimous decision over Jermaine Franklin.
Credit: BoxingScene