Who is Robert Helenius, the substitute boxer in Anthony Joshua’s next match?

Joshua’s original rival was supposed to be compatriot Dilian White, but he failed a doping test, jeopardizing the entire event.

Interestingly, the previous weekend, Helenius had a match in a medieval castle in Finland where he stopped Mika Mielonen by technical knockout in the third round.

Before that, Helenius fought Deontay Wilder in October 2022 and did not fare well. The “Bronze Bomber” put him to sleep in the first round with an impressive knockout.

Who is Robert Helenius?

Robert Gabriel Helenius is a Finnish professional boxer, born in Stockholm, Sweden, hence his double nationality. He has twice held regional heavyweight championships, including the European title, between 2011 and 2016. He won a super-heavyweight silver medal at the 2006 European Championships as an amateur. Helenius turned pro in 2008 to fight for Germany’s Wilfried Sauerland.

On December 3, 2011, Robert Helenius won the EBU heavyweight title by defeating Derek Chisora in Helsinki, Finland, in a split decision over 12 rounds. The outcome was controversial as many pundits and observers believed Chisora had done enough to win. On October 28, 2017, Dillian Whyte fought Robert Helenius. Whyte dominated from the third round and won by unanimous decision. Helenius admitted accepting the match with only a week of training due to financial need.

In his professional career, 39-year-old Helenius has a record of 32 wins (21 KOs) and 4 losses.

There were also talks that Andy Ruiz Jr., the former world champion, could fight instead of Helenius in London next weekend.

Joshua’s career took a hit in 2019 after losing to Ruiz, who replaced Jerel Martin after he failed a drug test. Ruiz, the underdog, won with a TKO in the sixth round and stripped Joshua of his WBA, IBF, and WBO titles. Although Joshua won them back in a rematch, he suffered two more losses to current champion Alexander Usyk.