After the fiasco with a failed VADA exam by Dillian Whyte, event organizers were scrambling to salvage the fight on Saturday night live from the O2 in London, U.K. After looking through several options, Matchroom announced earlier this morning that veteran heavyweight Robert Helenius (32-4, 21 KOs) will face Anthony Joshua (25-3, 22 KOs) as a late replacement to save Saturday’s event. The fight will now be not only on DAZN here in the U.S. as part of your subscription but also across the world, as before the Whyte situation, it was going to be a DAZN PPV in the U.K.
Joshua looks to regain the confidence he once had as the unified champion. The rumors continue to swirl that a fight with Deontay Wilder is on the horizon, so activity matters. This fight with Helenius shouldn’t go that long, and a knockout with the commentators saying “AJ is back” is likely on Saturday night.
💬 @anthonyjoshua #JoshuaHelenius pic.twitter.com/RmWOY1MfDP
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) August 8, 2023
Helenius fought last weekend against Mika Mielonen, who was undefeated before the bout and was stopped in the third round of their fight. It’s safe to say Helenius is more than warmed up and will try to ice Joshua and get his name out there as someone who should get a shot at one of the champions. The betting odds are heavily against him, but in heavyweight boxing, anything can happen.
🗣️ "Robert Helenius is a dangerous fight!" - @EddieHearn #JoshuaHelenius pic.twitter.com/Lm3dbpv4kB
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) August 8, 2023
ANTHONY JOSHUA VS. ROBERT HELENIUS BETTING ODDS
Per BetOnline.ag, Anthony Joshua is the favorite at -2500 (Under 5 ½ rounds -115), while Robert Helenius is the underdog at +1100 (Over 5 ½ rounds -115).
ANTHONY JOSHUA VS. ROBERT HELENIUS DATE, START TIME
- Date: Saturday, August 12
- Start time: 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT
- Main event ringwalks (approx): 5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT
These timings could change due to the length of the undercard fights.
This fight will be part of your regular DAZN subscription. 🔥#JoshuaHelenius https://t.co/as1uDFtsDK
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) August 8, 2023
WHAT CHANNEL/STREAM IS ANTHONY JOSHUA VS. ROBERT HELENIUS?
- U.S.: DAZN
- UK: DAZN
ANTHONY JOSHUA VS. ROBERT HELENIUS FIGHT CARD
- Anthony Joshua vs. Robert Helenius; heavyweight
- Filip Hrgovic vs. Demsey McKean; heavyweight
- Johnny Fisher vs. Harry Armstrong; heavyweight
