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Anthony Joshua Squares Up To Helenius At Weigh-In: “Have You Got A Problem With Me?”

Written by Kerr Ferguson on 11th August 2023.

Anthony Joshua Robert Helenius Weigh In

Anthony Joshua has taken to the scales ahead of his bout with Finnish heavyweight, Robert Helenius, following the cancellation of a rematch with Dillian Whyte.

Helenius will enter the ring just seven days after his last outing – a third round knockout in his homeland – to face the two-time world champion looking to get reach the top once more.

Joshua hopes this late-replacement bout won’t follow the same pattern of Andy Ruiz Jr in 2019, his first professional loss. He certainly looks in the shape to avoid any upsets, as he always does.

The number on the scales read 250lbs. ‘AJ’s career highest was in April of this year, although just by a pound, when he weighed in at 255 for his Jermaine Franklin unanimous decision win.

He’s always keen to point out that his weight should not be read into too much. 249lbs for ‘The Nordic Nightmare’ and all that’s left is to fight.

Joshua offered Helenius it there and then, demanding to know if he had a problem with him – a stark change of mood from the pleasant presser earlier this week.

The weight of Helenius matches what Whyte was likely to come in at, but the frames and styles the fighters present are entirely different.

The Finn is markedly taller than the Brit, and works the distance with a stiff jab that opens the door for some thudding straight-rights.

Joshua was taken the distance by the lighter and quicker Franklin last time out – and he of course struggled with Andy Ruiz Jr and couldn’t get to grips with Oleksandr Usyk – so may just be looking forward to having a bigger target in front of him.

The action from London’s O2 Arena will be broadcast live and exclusively on DAZN this Saturday.

Ahead of the main event, Johnny Fisher takes on Harry Armstrong for the Southern Area Heavyweight title, Filip Hrgovic defends his IBF mandatory status against southpaw Demsey McKean and Derek Chisora rolls the dice against fellow-veteran, Gerald Washington.