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Somewhere in a castle in Finland on Saturday night, five minutes removed from beating Mika Mielonen, Robert Helenius was posed a question. “Dillian Whyte is out; are you in?” Fighting Anthony Joshua in London on seven days’ notice was the proposition, and it was one that Helenius accepted with little hesitation. Four days on, he casually tells reporters in the English capital: “Nobody will remember a coward.” Few would have labelled Helenius as such, had he decided not to take this fight with Joshua in the wake of Whyte’s failed drug test, but the Finn himself would have lived with regret. That said, there was more to Helenius’s decision than just that. “Of course I think he’s vulnerable,” the 39-year-old says of Joshua, with whom he sparred in 2017. “I wouldn’t be here otherwise. I think I’d find easier jobs to do. I’m gonna take my chances and say now is the best time to fight him.” While Helenius fought just last Saturday, stopping Mielonen in the third round, Joshua enters the O2 Arena this week on the back of a points win over Jermaine Franklin. That victory came in the same venue, four months ago, and saw the Briton bounce back from two straight losses to Oleksandr Usyk. Helenius’s win against Mielonen also marked an upturn in form, as the “Nordic Nightmare” responded positively to a first-round loss to Deontay Wilder. That knockout last October left Wilder in tears and Helenius pondering retirement. “I didn’t think about boxing for about six months,” Helenius says. “I just did some bag work now and then, and mainly strength training. I was weighing a lot in the wintertime...” Then came Saturday’s bout with Mielonen at Savonlinna’s opera venue, and the Anthony Joshua call. Helenius’s manager Markus Sundman says a deal was struck within 24 hours, with much of the negotiating done from a zoo in Finland. Sundman in fact got the call on Saturday morning but did not wish to bother Helenius until after the heavyweight had fought that evening. Did they accept the first offer they got? “No comment,” Helenius and Sundman laugh, though the boxer admits this is not the biggest payday of his career, with funds around this weekend’s event having been hit by Whyte’s exit. Another intriguing factor is the fighters’ past as sparring partners, when “AJ” prepared for his clash with Wladimir Klitschko in 2017. How did Helenius rate Joshua, now 33, at the time? “Hard hitter, good technicals, a little bit robotic. I felt pretty confident.” Helenius also acknowledges that Joshua has looked somewhat hesitant in his last three fights, saying: “I’ve seen that change, but he didn’t get knocked out against Usyk or in his last fight, he showed he’s still got it. You have to overcome the gun-shyness after you get knocked out. I’ve been knocked out three times, and I think the first time was the bad one; I was probably depressed for a few months after that. “But I think his last fight, he made a good fight. I have to be awake and nimble, explosive. I hope he’s coming for me [from the first bell]. I am looking forward to this. I’m here to win.” Helenius is serious. Ahead of his fight last week, the Finn had planned a family holiday to Lapland – a trip that is now on hold. “They understand, they’ve been all their life with me,” Helenius says of his children, who are 15, 13 and 10 years old and prefer football to boxing. And what did his wife think? “I can’t ask permission from home to do what I do,” Helenius says. “They either accept it or they don’t. Sometimes, of course, [I think about the dangers of boxing]; I would be stupid not to. And, of course, I’ve been thinking about having a normal life after boxing and not having any brain damage, but boxing is always boxing. And I love it, I love the adrenalin. The [concerns] don’t outweigh the feeling of getting a really good win.” Such a win would also make Helenius the sportsperson of the year in Finland, he and Sundman believe. “When this match got announced, it was in every newspaper and on TV – all the time for maybe 24 hours,” Helenius says. This is a huge occasion – for Joshua, for Helenius, and for Finland. Saturday’s card is an event that Helenius saved after Whyte’s “adverse finding”, and as the Finn prepares for his showdown with AJ, he warns: “My doping is that I have a really high level of Viking blood in me...” Watch Joshua vs Helenius live on Dazn by clicking here. We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent. Read More It’s time to stop taking Anthony Joshua for granted Joshua vs Helenius live stream: How to watch fight online and on TV this weekend ‘We need to get it at the root’: Anthony Joshua and Robert Helenius on boxing’s doping ‘problem’ Anthony Joshua reveals which of his three defeats hurt the most Derek Chisora and Robert Helenius call for severe punishments for doping cheats Anthony Joshua and Robert Helenius go in-depth on boxing’s doping ‘problem’

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Robert Helenius puts it bluntly: “In Finland, if I would be caught, I would be lynched for my whole life.” The 39-year-old Finn is the biggest – perhaps only – beneficiary in this week’s saga, which has seen Dillian Whyte return an ‘adverse finding’ in a drug test, causing him to be pulled from his main event with Anthony Joshua. Helenius, on seven days’ notice, will now fight Joshua at London’s O2 Arena on Saturday, but he is still damning of a situation that has handed him one of the biggest bouts of his career. “Of course it’s a problem, because I don’t think everybody’s on the same level,” he tells reporters on Wednesday. “I think some boxers have some privileges that others don’t. I think anti-doping should be the same in every country. For example, in your country, when Dillian gets caught, nobody cares. I would get a two-year minimum [ban], or I would never get a licence again.” Prior to last week, Whyte had twice dealt with doping-related dramas. The Briton, 35, served a two-year ban from 2012 to 2014 and was cleared of wrongdoing in a separate episode in 2019. He will again be investigated following last week’s failed test, but no matter the outcome, eyebrows have been raised. Helenius also references Tyson Fury and Alexander Povetkin as high-profile heavyweights to have tested positive for a banned substance before returning to the sport, with both men boxing on the biggest stage thereafter. “How is this possible?” Helenius asks, incredulously. “Either they should legalise everything for everybody, or have the same standard for everybody. “Of course it feels like I’m at a disadvantage, because I don’t have that luxury of doing that stuff – because they come to my home to do my blood tests and everything, all the time. It’s not fair, but who said that life should be fair? “My doping is: I have a really high level of Viking blood in me!” Joshua remains calmer on the topic – stunningly so, given how this week has affected him, and considering that he was burnt by a short-notice fight with Andy Ruiz in June 2019, after his original opponent Jarrell Miller tested positive for multiple banned substances. “It happens in boxing,” Joshua says. “It’s not the first time it’s happened. [It’s happening more], so I wasn’t so surprised to be honest.” Joshua, 33, also plays down suggestions that he might be ‘disgusted’ with Whyte, or even just ‘angry’. Remarkably, the Briton is generous enough to give some fighters the benefit of the doubt. “I hope it’s a mistake [with Whyte], but that’s why I have to invest in these tests, etc, and now I ask the team: ‘Can they get Helenius tested as well?’ It’s important to make sure we’re on top of these things. I actually don’t know what Dillian was caught with, I don’t know what was in his system. “I don’t wish Dillian any bad. His reputation is tarnished, it’s not good for him. It’s not ‘disgusting’ [to me], but... Boxing’s not an institution where you join a club and everything’s presented to you. These guys go to local gyms, they’re probably around people who are doing dodgy stuff. I don’t know what it is, but you have to be very, very responsible. Boxing’s so tough; your body hurts, you’re tired, you’re trying to look for small advantages, and you’ve got some guy at the gym who’s always got energy, lifts more than you, trains harder than you, and he’s like: ‘This is what I take, take this.’ If you don’t do your research, it can lead to a positive drug test. “I’ve been drug tested since 2011, then I started [pushing for] drug testing for my opponents around 2017. Who knows [if Whyte was doping when Joshua faced him in 2015]? I won, that’s the main thing! They must be doing it without knowing, because I think the money is better than a ban. Why would you go through a whole training camp to dope at the end and get banned? I just think they’re not careful.” Joshua’s reaction is especially commendable when one considers that Whyte and Miller both accused “AJ” of doping, despite a lack of evidence. “You've got to question the person who’s accusing people, sometimes!” Joshua says. “It’s funny, those two actually popped dirty themselves. It’s probably because of my physique maybe, or my rise in boxing, it just didn’t make sense to them because they’re probably working hard. Sometimes it’s just natural – God gifted, and a lot of hard work as well.” Joshua, who claims it’s “not morally right” to fight someone who is using a banned substance, also expresses frustration at a lack of consistency – not in punishment, per Helenius’s point, but in testing. “I get drug tested all year round,” he says. “Every quarter I have to submit my whereabouts, where I’m gonna be for one hour in a day, so they can turn up randomly if they want. It’s been like that since 2011, I’ve just submitted it every day of my life. Why am I under that pressure but other boxers aren’t? Once you sign up to a promoter, they should all have that under their organisation.” Derek Chisora, a friend of Joshua’s, suggested at Wednesday’s press conference that Whyte might not be to blame but rather his team. Joshua’s response? “I can understand where Chisora is coming from, because I get a plate of food presented to me, I don’t cook. Who’s giving [Whyte] this stuff? But I know what I’m taking, whoever’s giving it to me. It should be easy enough to know... “If I was to get caught on drugs, I’d be like: ‘Ah, f***; it’s probably this, this, this or this. These are the four supplements I’m taking.’ He doesn’t know what he’s taken or where it’s come from, he’s shocked. I know who gave me these bottles of water when I came in, who gives me my food, my supplements. It’s easy to track what’s going on in your life.” Joshua again differs in opinion from Helenius, to a degree, as he says: “I don’t think we need longer bans, I think we need to get it at the root. It’s backwards, boxing. You’ve got someone that’s come out of the Olympics, with potential to be a champion, who’s training in someone’s backyard swimming pool! If that’s me, who’s got potential, then you’ve got a kid coming out of nowhere and training in his local gym... he can easily be led down the wrong path. “There’s no support, no guidance. That’s why I always say: There’s the fight in the ring and the fight outside the ring, which is even harder. You need to get your s*** right outside; Dillian didn’t have his s*** right outside, and he can’t get in the ring.” Read More It’s time to stop taking Anthony Joshua for granted Joshua vs Helenius live stream: How to watch fight online and on TV this weekend ‘He’ll finish you with a sledgehammer’: What it’s really like to get punched by Anthony Joshua Anthony Joshua did not want to let people down in accepting opponent change Wozniacki returns to tennis and new Man Utd threads – Tuesday’s sporting social Who is fighting on the Joshua vs Helenius undercard this weekend?

Logan Paul vs Dillon Danis has been added to the KSI vs Tommy Fury fight card in October. YouTube star Paul has boxed before, drawing with KSI in an amateur bout and losing to his now-business partner in a professional contest, and the American has also taken on Floyd Mayweather in an exhibition fight. Now Paul, 28, will return to the boxing ring – having spent much of the last year in the wrestling ring with WWE – as he fights Danis on 14 October. Danis, 29, is an ex-teammate of UFC star Conor McGregor and has fought in MMA promotion Bellator. The American is best known as a jiu-jitsu practitioner, and he withdrew from a boxing match with KSI (real name Olajide Olatunji) in January. Upon Tuesday’s announcement of the upcoming fight at Manchester’s AO Arena, Paul said: “Almost two years after fighting the greatest boxer of all time, I am so pumped to return to the boxing ring. “Manchester, I hope you are ready for a night you will never forget, because The Prime Card is delivering in a big way, with KSI and I on either side of a double main event. “The world has seen the energy, athleticism and showmanship I’ve brought to WWE, but this October I plan on reminding everyone that I can bring it to boxing, too.” Paul and KSI launched the energy-drink company Prime together in 2022. Danis added: “I couldn’t care less what Logan Paul has done in the WWE, because when he is in the boxing ring, he is in a completely different world. It’s a world of pain, a world where he doesn’t have control, and it’s my world – not his. “On 14 October, in Manchester, Logan Paul is getting beat down.” Paul’s younger brother Jake, 26, has boxed more frequently than his sibling, compiling a 7-1 pro record. On Saturday, Jake Paul beat ex-UFC fighter Nate Diaz on points in Dallas. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More KSI vs Tommy Fury: When is fight and how to watch Don’t sneer at the boxing crossovers – they’re lucrative, successful and here to stay Jake Paul vs Nate Diaz prize money: How much did fighters earn for boxing match? Tommy Fury promises knockout as KSI fight confirmed for October Anthony Joshua news LIVE: Next fight revealed after Dillian Whyte fails doping test Who is fighting on the Joshua vs Helenius undercard this weekend?

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Anthony Joshua will face a different kind of test this weekend, fighting Robert Helenius on short notice in London. Joshua, 33, was set to take on Dillian Whyte this week, in a rematch eight years in the making, but Whyte returned an adverse finding in a drug test on Saturday. As a result, he lost his chance to avenge his knockout loss to Joshua, who will now fight Helenius at the O2 Arena. Helenius, 39, fought just last week, stopping Mika Mielonen in Round 3. With that win, the Finn bounced back from a knockout loss to Deontay Wilder. Meanwhile, Briton Joshua last fought in April, beating Jermaine Franklin on points after suffering two straight losses to Oleksandr Usyk. Here’s all you need to know. We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent. When is it? Joshua vs Helenius will take place on Saturday 12 August at the O2 Arena in London. The main card is due to begin at 7pm BST (11am PT, 1pm CT, 2pm ET). Ring walks for the main event are then expected at around 10pm BST (2pm PT, 4pm CT, 5pm ET). How can I watch it? The event will stream live on Dazn. A subscription to the streaming platform is available to purchase here, with monthly plans starting at £9.99. Odds Joshua – 1/18 Helenius – 25/1 Draw – 17/2 Full odds via Betfair. Full card (subject to change) Anthony Joshua vs Robert Helenius (heavyweight) Filip Hrgovic vs Demsey McKean (heavyweight) Johnny Fisher vs Harry Armstrong (heavyweight) Derek Chisora vs Gerald Washington (heavyweight) Campbell Hatton vs Tom Ansell (super-lightweight) George Liddard vs Bas Oosterweghel (middleweight) Brandon Scott vs Louis Norman (featherweight) Maisey Rose Courtney vs Gemma Ruegg (super-flyweight) Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Anthony Joshua to face Robert Helenius after Dillian Whyte fight cancelled Robert Helenius: Record of Finnish star stepping up to face Anthony Joshua Dillian Whyte vows to prove his innocence after doping test ‘adverse finding’ Anthony Joshua’s hopes of Deontay Wilder fight in next six months still alive What time does Joshua vs Helenius start this weekend? How to watch Joshua vs Helenius online and on TV this weekend

Anthony Joshua will fight Robert Helenius this weekend, as the Finn steps in for Dillian Whyte. Joshua was due to fight Whyte in a rematch of their 2015 clash, which “AJ” won via knockout, but Whyte returned an adverse drug-test finding last week, causing Saturday’s main event to be cancelled. Helenius, 39, has been drafted in to fight Joshua, 33, on short notice, as the pair square off at London’s O2 Arena. Briton Joshua last fought in April, beating Jermaine Franklin on points to bounce back from two straight losses to Oleksandr Usyk. Meanwhile, Helenius fought just last week, winning in the third round to respond positively to a knockout loss to Deontay Wilder last year. Here’s all you need to know. We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent. When is it? Joshua vs Helenius will take place on Saturday 12 August at the O2 Arena in London. The main card is due to begin at 7pm BST (11am PT, 1pm CT, 2pm ET). Ring walks for the main event are then expected at around 10pm BST (2pm PT, 4pm CT, 5pm ET). How can I watch it? The event will stream live on Dazn. A subscription to the streaming platform is available to purchase here, with monthly plans starting at £9.99. Odds Joshua – 1/18 Helenius – 25/1 Draw – 17/2 Full odds via Betfair. Full card (subject to change) Anthony Joshua vs Robert Helenius (heavyweight) Filip Hrgovic vs Demsey McKean (heavyweight) Johnny Fisher vs Harry Armstrong (heavyweight) Derek Chisora vs Gerald Washington (heavyweight) Campbell Hatton vs Tom Ansell (super-lightweight) George Liddard vs Bas Oosterweghel (middleweight) Brandon Scott vs Louis Norman (featherweight) Maisey Rose Courtney vs Gemma Ruegg (super-flyweight) Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Anthony Joshua to face Robert Helenius after Dillian Whyte fight cancelled Robert Helenius: Record of Finnish star stepping up to face Anthony Joshua Dillian Whyte vows to prove his innocence after doping test ‘adverse finding’ Key questions answered as Robert Helenius steps in to take on Anthony Joshua Robert Helenius: Record of Finnish boxer stepping up to face Anthony Joshua Anthony Joshua news LIVE: Next fight revealed after Dillian Whyte fails doping test

Robert Helenius will step in to fight Anthony Joshua on short notice on Saturday, after “AJ”’s original opponent Dillian Whyte failed a doping test last week. Joshua vs Whyte 2 would have been a rematch eight years in the making, with “AJ” having knocked out his fellow Briton in 2015 to avenge an amateur defeat by Whyte. However, Saturday’s rematch at the O2 Arena in London fell through when Whyte, 35, returned an adverse finding in a drug test. Whyte has maintained his innocence, while it was initially unclear whether Joshua, 33, would still compete on Saturday. But his promoter Eddie Hearn then teased an announcement on Tuesday (8 August), with fans learning that Helenius will replace Whyte. The Finn, 39, fought just last week, stopping Mika Mielonen in the third round to bounce back from a knockout loss to Deontay Wilder last October. Helenius appeared to retire after his first-round defeat by Wilder, who tearfully said at the post-fight press conference: “How much is that man gonna suffer? He may be alright right now – a little bit – but what about the next day? What about two weeks from now? What about a month from now? Maybe years from now?” Helenius returned to the ring last Saturday, though, beating Mielonen in what might have proved a helpful warm-up for this clash with Joshua. With that win, Helenius improved his professional record to 32-4 (21 KO wins, 3 KO losses). His most notable opponents, alongside Wilder, have been Whyte and Derek Chisora, with the former outpointing Helenius and the latter losing to the Finn via decision. Following the drastic change to Saturday’s main event, Matchroom is offering refunds to fans who do not wish to attend Joshua vs Helenius. Those who do wish to attend the event will see their original tickets honoured. “This wasn’t in the script,” Joshua said. “I respect Helenius and may I say, I respect any male or female who steps into the ring. “I am laser-focused on the win. I can make steps forward to bigger and better things, but the road map has a checkpoint, Saturday night. May the best man win.” Helenius added: “I am excited. I am a true Viking that is willing to face any challenge at a moment’s notice. This is not an opportunity I was going to let slip away. I plan to make the most of it!” Joshua last fought in April, beating Jermaine Franklin on points to bounce back from two straight decision losses to Oleksandr Usyk. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Anthony Joshua to face Robert Helenius after Dillian Whyte fight cancelled Anthony Joshua news LIVE: Robert Helenius named as new opponent after Dillian Whyte fails doping test Dillian Whyte vows to prove his innocence after doping test ‘adverse finding’ Anthony Joshua news LIVE: Next fight revealed after Dillian Whyte fails doping test Anthony Joshua’s new opponent revealed after Dillian Whyte fight cancelled Reaction as England reach World Cup quarter-finals – Monday’s sporting social

Anthony Joshua will fight Robert Helenius on Saturday after securing the Finn as a late replacement for Dillian Whyte. “An adverse finding” from a doping test was returned by Whyte last week, with Matchroom confirming the rematch between the British rivals was cancelled. Whyte, 35, revealed he is “devastated” and maintains he is “completely innocent”. But Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn has moved quickly to find a late replacement, with Joshua eager to continue his rebuild under new trainer Derrick James. “This wasn’t in the script,” Joshua said, after it was announced that he will be fighting Helenius, 39. “I respect Helenius and may I say, I respect any male or female who steps into the ring. “I am laser focused on the win. I can make steps forward to bigger and better things, but the road map has a checkpoint, Saturday night. May the best man win.” Helenius added: “I am excited. I am a true Viking that is willing to face any challenge at a moment’s notice. This is not an opportunity I was going to let slip away. I plan to make the most of it!” Joshua rebounded from back-to-back defeats against IBF, WBO and WBA world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk with a points victory over American Jermain Franklin in April. More to follow... Read More Robert Helenius replaces Dillian Whyte as Anthony Joshua’s opponent for Saturday Anthony Joshua news LIVE: Next fight revealed after Dillian Whyte fails doping test Reaction as England reach World Cup quarter-finals – Monday’s sporting social

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