Joshua’s brutal knockout of Helenius, live from space

Former British world champion Anthony Joshua needed seven rounds to knockout Finnish opponent Robert Helenius in their heavyweight bout on Saturday in London.

Seventh round knockout. On Saturday in London, Anthony Joshua took some time to find fault against Robert Helenius. The 39-year-old Finn was chosen at the last moment to replace Briton Dillian White in this fight, who lost due to “unfavorable analysis results” during doping control.

But Helenius, whose professional career amounted to 32 victories in 4 defeats, suffered the same punishment imposed last October by American Deontay Wilder, namely by KO, even if this did not interfere from the first round …

Joshua takes out Helenius with a right hook

In fact, avoiding a repeat of this humiliating incident, Joshua was so careful at the start of the fight that in the third round boos began to be heard in the crowded stands of Arena 02. But shortly in the same round, a powerful left hook and then a right hook to the face from Joshua marked the beginning of the end for Helenius, despite a good push that rocked the Briton in the fourth round.

The Finnish veteran finished round 5 with a bloody nose. Then he survived the sixth round, although the Briton wobbled him with a left uppercut. Finally, Joshua gave his fans the spectacle they had come to see by hitting Helenius with a powerful forehand in the seventh round. Helenius was briefly unconscious, but eventually got to his feet before touching gloves with his 33-year-old opponent as a sign of respect.

“People have to leave me alone, that’s my time in the ring,” Joshua said after the fight. “Let me keep doing what I want to do (…) I don’t want to say much. I want to see you again.” [les fans] Twice again this year. When asked about his upcoming (possible) confrontation with Wilder, the Briton preferred to joke: “I have a problem with my back, it hurts because I have to take this heavyweight division to the top.