Anthony Joshua vs Robert Helenius undercard, fight running order and start times
Anthony Joshua looks to secure himself a shot against Deontay Wilder tonight when he fights Robert Helenius in London.
Former two-time heavyweight champion Joshua was originally set to rematch domestic rival Dillian Whyte at The O2 arena event, but Whyte returned an “adverse analytical finding" in a pre-fight drug test and the fight was cancelled. Several names floated around to replace Whyte but it was Helenius who got the call as he saved the show on a week’s notice.
The event, which was taken off pay-per-view after Whyte's withdrawal, also features the likes of Derek Chisora, Campbell Hatton and Filip Hrgovic. Chisora takes on Gerald Washington in the co-headliner whilst Hrgovic and McKean battle it out to determine the next challenger of the unified world heavyweight titles.
Anthony Joshua vs Robert Helenius
Joshua is looking to pick up his second win on the bounce under new trainer Derrick James after beating Jermaine Franklin in April. 'AJ' has insisted the last-minute opponent change has not thrown him off his game as he looks to put on a more convincing performance against Helenius than he did against Franklin to set up a tantalising clash with Wilder.
Helenius was only in action last Saturday as he won by knockout at a 15th century medieval castle in Finland. 'The Nordic Nightmare' hadn't even got his hand wraps taken off before getting the call to fight Joshua, an opportunity that he couldn't have passed up. Helenius is a big underdog against 'AJ' but is adamant he isn't here to make up the numbers.
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Anthony Joshua takes on Robert Helenius in London (Getty Images)Derek Chisora vs Gerald Washington
Chisora denied ever being in the mix to replace Whyte and fight Joshua in tonight's main event but 'War' remains on the card as he faces Washington, a 41-year-old who hasn't fought in 18 months. Chisora insisted he and Washington are good friends but the Brit gave off mixed signals by ignoring his opponent's handshake at their weigh-in.
Washington holds a knockout win over Helenius but is currently on a losing skid having been beaten Ali Eren Demirezen and Charles Martin in his last two fights. The American has been extremely inactive in recent years, competing just once every 12-months on average, as his last win came over four years ago.
Filip Hrgovic vs Demsey McKean
The winner of Hrgovic and McKean's fight will produce the next challenger for either Oleksandr Usyk or Daniel Dubois, depending on the result of their unified heavyweight world title fight later this month. Hrgovic has gone unbeaten in 15 professional fights since winning bronze at the 2016 Olympic games, although his last win against Zhilei Zhang went down as a controversial decision.
McKean's name was linked to Joshua for a while as the Australian competes on UK turf for the second time in his professional career. Unbeaten in 22 fights, McKean is a considerable underdog against Hrgovic but he looks to pull off the upset to secure himself a world title shot.
Who wins tonight - Anthony Joshua or Robert Helenius? Let us know your prediction in the comments section below
Johnny Fisher vs Harry Armstrong
Fisher has quickly become a fan favourite since turning professional two years ago and putting together an impressive unbeaten record of 9-0. 'The Romford Bull' is competing for the Southern Area heavyweight title against 30-year-old Harry Armstrong, who has a record of 5-1-1.
Armstrong tipped the scale slightly heavier than Fisher at Friday's weigh-ins but the youngster looked in the better shape of the two. Fisher's dad John is one of his biggest supporters and in recent times Big John has become even more popular than his son, being known for his 'Bosh!' catchphrase on TikTok.
Campbell Hatton vs Tom Ansell
The son-of-a-legend Campbell has already put together an impressive professional record of 12-0 with three of those wins coming this year. Campbell looks to continue his good run of form at The O2 arena having picked up stoppage wins in both of his past fights at the venue.
Ricky Hatton's son Campbell (left) fights tonight (Getty Images)It also marks the third time Campbell is fighting on Joshua's undercard as he was in action for the former two-time heavyweight champion's fights against Oleksandr Usyk and Jermaine Franklin. Ansell has a bit of a size advantage over Campbell with both men looking in good shape at Friday's weigh-in.
George Liddard vs Bas Oosterweghel
Fighting out of Billericay in Essex, Liddard is in action for the fourth time as a professional with all three of his previous wins coming by knockout. A four-time amateur national champion, Liddard will have his work cut out for him by Oosterweghel who is far from a journeyman as the Dutch fighter boasts a record of 5-1.
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The pair had an intense staredown after the weigh-in on Friday afternoon as Liddard is inevitably in for the toughest challenge of his career so far. The 21-year-old was last in action on the undercard of Sunny Edwards and Andres Campos' world title fight whilst Oosterweghel also competed in June at an event in Swindon.
Brandon Scott vs Louis Norman
Scott stole the show at Wednesday’s press conference as he dressed up as Spider-Man and made a crude comparison between himself and Joshua. The Swansea boy is unbeaten in five professional fights as he last fought on the undercard of Joe Cordina’s world title fight against Shavkatdzhon Rakimov in April.
Norman, a veteran of 29 fights, was only in action last month against Frankie Storey as he was stopped by the unbeaten prospect. Scott will hope to prove he isn’t just all talk by becoming the latest prospect to beat Norman, who already has two fights lined up for next month.
Maiseyrose Courtney vs Gemma Ruegg
Courtney looks to pick up her fourth professional win against Ruegg in the opening fight of the night at The O2 arena. Once having dreams of being a professional footballer, Courtney turned down an offer from Crystal Palace FC to pursue a career in boxing in a drastic career switch.
Standing in her way is gritty journeyman Ruegg, who has never been stopped in 14 professional fights. The Bournemouth-native, who has credited boxing for saving her life, has proven her worth in the ring by previously going the distance against top prospects such as Shannon Courtenay.
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