Anthony Joshua on disrupted 'trilogy' plans: 'I wanted Dillian Whyte, then Deontay Wilder, then Tyson Fury'
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Updated 09/08/2023 at 12:57 GMT+1
Anthony Joshua was due to fight Dillian Whyte at the O2 Arena on Saturday, but Whyte withdrew from the bout after returning “adverse findings” from a doping test. Finland's Robert Helenius has stepped in as a new opponent for Joshua, who could be lining up a clash with Deontay Wilder later this year ahead of eventually facing Tyson Fury. Joshua last fought in April, when he beat Jermaine Franklin.
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Anthony Joshua is hoping Dillian Whyte’s failed drugs test will not disrupt his plans to tee up a long-awaited showdown with Tyson Fury.
Joshua and Whyte were due to go head-to-head in London but "an adverse finding" from a doping test has caused the bout to be cancelled, with Robert Helenius stepping in as a new opponent for the former unified world heavyweight champion.
Writing in his pre-fight column for the Evening Standard about the disruption, Joshua said: “It’s dangerous to talk about any heavyweight fight as a stepping stone, but this fight was, in many ways, part of a planned trilogy for this year and beyond. I wanted Whyte first, then Wilder and finally Tyson Fury after that.
“I’m still willing to fight all three when the time and place comes, that hasn’t shifted at all. This is merely the latest stop on my boxing journey.”
With Helenius becoming his opponent at less than a week’s notice, Joshua said: “This fight is not the one I expected next for me, and I’m sure that is the same for anyone else that will be inside the O2 [Arena] or watching on TV.
“I fully anticipated doing my ring walk with the prospect of Dillian Whyte being the man standing in there waiting for me.
"That’s not the case, but that’s boxing, things change. I’m not here to talk about the rights or wrongs of his adverse analytical finding.”
The last time Joshua met Whyte in 2015, he knocked out his compatriot in the seventh round of their British title fight, avenging a loss he had to his rival on the amateur circuit.
There has been some trash talk between the pair since and Joshua said: “All I can really say is that I was looking forward to facing him. We’ve fought once before and he’s had a fair bit to say about me since my last fight. I felt ready to put a few things straight.”
Joshua was victorious in his last outing in the ring, defeating Jermaine Franklin by way of unanimous decision in April.
That was a return to winning ways for the 2012 Olympic gold medallist, after he had suffered back-to-back defeats against Oleksandr Usyk.
As for Helenius, he has a record of 32 wins and four losses, with his last victory coming against Mika Mielonen just seven days before his hastily-scheduled fight with Joshua in London.
The Finnish fighter’s last major bout came against Deontay Wilder in October 2022, when he was knocked out in the first round in New York.
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Robert Hellenius suffered a first round knockout against Deontay Wilder
Image credit: Getty Images
Analysing that ahead of the fight, Joshua said: “Sure, he got undone by Deontay Wilder inside a single round not so long ago, but that’s the heavyweight division - one punch and you can be done for. Believe me, I’ve been there and experienced it… on both sides.
“But among others, he has taken Whyte the distance and all credit to him for being the man to step up to face me on Saturday night.”
Despite the disappointment of not fighting Whyte, Joshua thinks he is perfect shape to take on anyone.
“Be it Whyte, Helenius or anyone else, I’ve trained to be ready for a 12-round fight. I felt the same way with Dillian as my actual weekend rival — this is just another body coming for me.
“I don’t think either fighter can stop me, but I’ve got to prove that and bring the heat.
“We’re in the final days and I feel a bit like a caged beast that’s been locked away ready to be unleashed. I’m ready for the battlefield, it’s just a different battle plan and fighter in front of me."
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