Following Dillian Whyte’s adverse analytical finding in a voluntary drug test ahead of his fight with Anthony Joshua, a replacement opponent was brought in, in the form of Finnish heavyweight Robert Helenius. Now, Matchroom Boxing have reported the results of a voluntary drug test for Helenius taking a day before the Joshua clash, saying that he also returned an adverse finding.
Heavyweight boxer Robert Helenius returned an “adverse analytical finding” for a voluntary drug test he took the day before his fight with Anthony Joshua.
Joshua and Helenius fought on August 12 for the Briton’s second fight of 2023, with Joshua winning by a seventh-round stoppage.
The 39-year-old Finn was stepping in as a late replacement for the originally scheduled B-side for the fight, Dillian Whyte.
Whyte himself had also returned an adverse analytical finding around a week before the fight, leading Helenius to be selected as the new opponent to avoid cancelling the card
Matchroom Boxing, who oversaw the event, released a statement confirming the news.
They said: “Today, the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (Vada) has informed Matchroom and the British Boxing Board of Control that Robert Helenius has returned an adverse analytical finding as part of a random anti-doping protocol,” Matchroom said in a statement on social media.
“Matchroom defers to the relevant regulatory authorities on next steps. We vehemently continue to support voluntary anti-doping testing. We are committed to promoting a clean and fair sport for all athletes.”
Helenius was in action on August 5, when he defeated Mika Mielonen in Finland.
Joshua is now expected to fight in early 2023 against Wilder, potentially on the same card as Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk.
Usyk fights his mandatory challenger Daniel Dubois on Saturday night in Poland, live on TNT Sports Box Office.
