Whyte Replacement; Anthony Joshua Set To Battle Helenius

Anthony Joshua will fight Robert Helenius on Saturday, with the Finn coming in as a replacement for original opponent Dillian Whyte.

Joshua was due to box old rival Whyte at the O2 Arena this weekend.

But that heavyweight bout was canceled after a random anti-doping test on Whyte returned “adverse analytical findings”.

The Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) said it had informed the Association of Boxing Commissions and the British Boxing Board of Control that a “random anti-doping protocol” undertaken by Whyte had returned the adverse findings.

Helenius boxed last weekend, beating Mika Mielonen by stoppage on Saturday, and will step in at short notice to take on former unified champion Joshua.

The 39-year-old Finnish International was knocked out by Deontay Wilder in one round last year, though before that he had secured respectable back-to-back wins over Adam Kownacki.
Helenius said “I am excited about fighting Anthony Joshua on August 12, 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.”

What Went Wrong

Whyte returned an ‘adverse finding’ to a random doping test. The future looks much less clear for Whyte, 35, following this episode, his third run-in with anti-doping authorities.

In a statement, he said he was ‘shocked and devastated’ by the positive test and vowed to ‘prove that I am completely innocent.’

As a result, the fight was canceled and Joshua will now face Helenius