Anthony Joshua powers past Robert Helenius in seven rounds at O2 Arena in London - ‘Many ways to skin a cat’

Anthony Joshua powered his way past Robert Helenius in the seventh round at the 02 Arena in London.

The former world heavyweight champion was due to face fellow Brit Dillian Whyte, but the latter was forced to withdraw after failing a drugs test.

Joshua was left to find a new opponent in the space of just a week, as Finnish fighter Helenius entered the fray.

The 39-year-old came into the fight with renewed confidence following a win inside three rounds over Mika Mielonen in Finland, and eager to test himself in the upper level of the division.

Joshua began to assert his dominance in the contest in round two after a fast start from Helenius, but frustrated the crowd by his reluctance to go for the knockout early on.

Boos were clearly audible from those in attendance, prompting Joshua to respond with a potentially devastating right cross to Helenius’ jaw.

The Finn bounced back, though, and showed impressive resilience to soak up plenty of pressure in round four, but took another heavy hit from Joshua in the fifth.

It turned into a bit of a slug fest in the sixth round, before Joshua ended the fight with a jab-right-cross combination.

This instantly concluded the fight, as Joshua celebrated wildly before even having his hand raised by the referee.

Reflecting on an attritional contest, Joshua said: "If I could have done it earlier, I would have.

"It's a breaking down job. There's many ways to skin a cat and I did it in the end."

Meanwhile, Filip Hrgovic was victorious on the undercard after eventually overcoming Australian Dempsey McKean in the 12th and final round.

The Croatian’s win retains his status as mandatory challenger for the IBF heavyweight title, which is currently held by Oleksandr Usyk.

Elsewhere, Derek Chisora beat American Gerald Washington on an unanimous decision, but the Brit slugged it out over 10 rounds.

Joshua admitted the late change of opponent disrupted his trilogy plans that included bouts with Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury after the rematch with Whyte.

However, after downing Helenius, the Briton admitted he is still eyeing a blockbuster clash with Wilder that is long overdue.

"Roll on," he said, when asked if the American was next. "There's no worry to me when it is. I'm just happy we can get the fight going and I think people appreciate that.

"I'm doing my best to keep heavyweight boxing on the map."

He added: We've just got to hope the other team play ball as well. I'm just focused on smashing his head in now. And that's it."

A win against Wilder could set up one of the biggest heavyweight showdowns in British boxing history against Fury, which could also be how Joshua plans to say farewell to the sport.

When asked how long he had left in boxing, he said: "Not long.

"I believe that for years I've played my part bringing entertainment to heavyweight boxing."

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