Helenius is defeated by Anthony Joshua in the seventh round

Anthony Joshua knocked out Finnish boxer Robert Helenius on Saturday, August 12. This was Joshua’s first knockout victory since defeating Kubrat Puliev on December 12, 2020.

The former unified heavyweight champion and Dillian Whyte were scheduled to square off at the O2 Arena in London. The last-minute replacement for Whyte, who failed a drug test last week, was Helenius, who had just fought seven days prior in Finland.

While Joshua, fearing a repeat of the Andy Ruiz situation, cautiously launched his jabs and had to wait until the seventh round to land the decisive blow, Helenius made a strong showing of himself in the early rounds while attempting to counterpunch and throw jabs.

The fast right hand knockout sent Helenius tumbling after a three-punch combination.

As Helenius rolled down the ropes the the referee didn’t waste time to end the match.

With a potential fight against Deontay Wilder (who beat Helenius in the first round when the both fought) Joshua will be encouraged by this result as he aims to be a three time heavyweight champion.

Watch the knock out video below…