Two-time heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshua, has revealed that he is feeling the affects of his training camp as he prepares to take on Robert Helenius this weekend.
‘AJ’s previous opponent, Dillian Whyte, failed a VADA test, leaving Matchroom Boxing and Eddie Hearn scrambling to source a new heavyweight to save the show.
Up stepped Helenius, who was boxing in a Finnish castle on the day that the news of Whyte’s test broke, and will now be looking to emulate the performance of Andy Ruiz Jr when he famously defeated Joshua in 2019 as a late-replacement.
Ahead of the contest, Anthony Joshua has admitted that feels ‘tired, battered and bruised’ ahead of his 29th pro fight, but maintained that he will fight ‘hard’ in an interview with Antoine Speaks.
“I feel tired, battered and bruised and I feel that I train hard which means I can fight hard.”
“My hand being raised is the most important thing, rather than looking at anything else. There’s always a carrot that’s being dangled in front of us, but it’s been like that forever and I think that young athletes should always focus on what they have in front of them.
Like myself, I’m a young athlete and a veteran as well now, I’ve been around late replacements, this is the third time this has happened, I just need to get my hand raised, get in there and do the job.”
Joshua will take on Helenius at the O2 Arena on Saturday August 12, headlining a main card which features three other heavyweight showdowns.
