Anthony Joshua’s fight with Dillian Whyte cancelled after Whyte returned an adverse anti-doping finding; Robert Helenius has stepped in to fight Joshua with just a week’s notice; Whyte says he is “completely innocent” as he denies taking reported substance

Joshua was originally due to fight Dillian Whyte at the O2 Arena, but will now face Robert Helenius who stepped in just a week after his last fight.

Last weekend, the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association said it had informed the Association of Boxing Commissions and the British Boxing Board of Control that a “random anti-doping protocol” undertaken by Whyte had returned “adverse analytical findings”.

Whyte has denied taking the reported substance and vowed to prove that he was “completely innocent”.

Joshua, who did not suggest any wrongdoing by Whyte, told Sky Sports: “Boxing is a great sport, it changes lives, it changed my life and put me on the right trajectory.

“It helped me cut out certain habits so it is a brilliant, brilliant sport for people who want to get fit and all these types of things.

“But in terms of the sport, I feel sorry for up and coming fighters, you don’t know what is going on or what type of person you are fighting.

“It is so tough anyway then you have people who might be cutting corners, who knows.

“I understood this Anti-Doping System from the amateur system because I was exposed to it when I went to the Olympic team and represented Great Britain, that there is an organisation that stops people cheating and putting things in their system that could give them enhancements.

“So I then would now hire these people when I would fight professionally and would say look, ‘I was registered under this committee, I have been drug tested by these guys since 2011’.

“I then pay extra funds to then get my opponents drug tested to make sure no one is cheating because not just in the heavyweight division, it is rife across the whole of boxing.”

As Matchroom Boxing scramble to find Anthony Joshua a replacement opponent for August 12, a new contender has emerged – Robert Helenius. The Finish puncher is reportedly being considered as a viable option to stand in for Dillian Whyte after the ‘Body Snatcher’ returned “adverse analytical findings” in a pre-fight drugs test carried out by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA), which led to the cancellation of his rematch with AJ.

According to the Daily Star, Helenius has a strong possibility of landing the fight if a deal can be reached in the next few hours. Helenius just fought on Saturday in his first bout back since being knocked out in the first round by Deontay Wilder last October.

He squared off against fellow countryman Mika Mielonen in his native Finland, recording a comfortable third-round knockout win. Helenius is fit and came out of his last outing unscathed and so is thought to be among the frontrunners to face Joshua next.

Eddie Hearn is also understood to have spoken to Gerald Washington, who is scheduled to face Derek Chisora on the undercard. Washington’s trainer Malik Scott recently revealed his fighter’s willingness to take up the challenge in an interview with Sky Sports.

“This is an opportunity we would love to take full advantage of,” he said. “Myself and Gerald have been working for a year straight together, travelling to different camps, polishing up his style, teaching him different dynamics, sparring with the likes of Deontay [Wilder], [Oleksandr] Usyk, so many young undefeated heavyweights and Gerald did more than hold his own at these levels.”

Washington was reportedly in the running to face AJ for his comeback fight in April following back-to-back losses to Oleksandr Usyk. But Joshua’s team chose to go with Jermaine Franklin instead. The American has lost five of his last seven fights with his last victory coming against the aforementioned Helenius in 2019.

By Charles Brun: David Haye says Dereck Chisora is training to jump in as the replacement opponent for Anthony Joshua on August 12th at the O2 Arena in London. Haye says Chisora (33-13, 23 KOs) told him a week ago that he knew that Joshua’s previously scheduled opponent Dillian Whyte would have drug issues, and he’s ready to step in. Will the Brits be willing to pay their hard-earned money to watch Joshua demolish the journeyman Chisora on DAZN pay-per-view on August 12th? A replacement that isn’t too dangerous for Joshua has got to be found soon because there are only six days left before August 12th, and you can’t sell a fight on PPV if fans don’t know who AJ is fighting until the last minute.

There have been rumors that Joshua could fight Filip Hrgovic or Demsey Mckean on that date, but it’s unrealistic that he would face either of those guys.  McKean is a southpaw, and Joshua would need more than a week to prepare for that type of fighter.

As for Hrgovic, he punches too hard, and he could knock Joshua out, wrecking his gigantic payday fight against Deontay Wilder in Saudi Arabia. Dereck Chisora On PPV? We know that Tyson Fury had the nerve to use Chisora as an opponent for a PPV fight last year and even filled a stadium in the UK. The contest was virtually unwatchable, and Fury’s popularity plummeted in the aftermath. Matchoom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn needs to find a suitable opponent for Joshua to fight in the main event on the August 12th PPV card on DAZN, but he can’t afford to put AJ in with anyone dangerous that could potentially beat him. That’s where the 39-year-old Chisora comes in. He’s perfect.

“It’s funny, I got a call from Derek Chisora about a week ago telling me this exact thing would happen. I didn’t pay much mind to it, but he was telling me he’s fighting AJ a week ago. Derek’s been training for that fight,” said David Haye to SecondsOutLive.
Hearn is desperate to the extreme, needing to find an opponent pronto to stick in there with Joshua on August 12th that UK boxing fans won’t mind digging in their pockets. Still, it would take a lot of gall for Hearn to use the journeyman Chisora as the replacement for Joshua to fight. “He said to keep it to myself, but I think this news is out there now that Dillian’s not the man going to be in the ring with AJ on the 12th [of August], and Derek’s been training for that fight. Chisora Already Training “He’s bought the same camp. He’s brought the same team that he had for the Usyk fight. He hasn’t done that since the Usyk fight. He knows he’s going to need another Usyk performance where he pushed Usyk harder than AJ pushed him in those 24 rounds that AJ shared with him in Saudi,” said Haye.

Chisora’s fight with Oleksandr Usyk took place three years ago in 2020, and Dereck has deteriorated badly since then, slowing down with hand speed and looking like a big lump inside the ring.

Whatever Chisora did in the Usyk fight is ancient history because he’s not the same fighter he was then, and it wasn’t as competitive as Haye portrays. “So very, very interesting. I think there should be an announcement at some stage, but you know, I think I think it’s a great fight. Dereck always gives value for money. He’s a Londoner, and it’s at the O2 Arena,” said Haye. You can’t put it past Hearn to use Chisora as the replacement for Joshua (25-3, 22 KOs) for these reasons: Desperation Recognizable name needed Not much difference between Chisora & Whyte. Both worn-out journeymen British fans won’t care. U.S fans will ignore the fight anyway, just as they would if Whyte was used as the confidence booster Chisor ano threat to beating Joshua “If you look at Dillian and Dereck, if you look at their last fight, Dereck was winning the fight up until he had that point deducted and unfortunately got chinned in that in the 11th round, but it was a very close fight,” said Haye about the Chisora vs. Whyte rematch in 2018.

“If you look at both of their last performances against the WBC champion Tyson Fury, Dillian got knocked out quite conclusively, and Dereck went to points he lasted the twelve rounds decision,” said Haye. Chisora didn’t go the distance with Fury last year. He took and beating and was stopped in the tenth round.

London heavyweight Jeamie TKV has been brought in to spar Anthony Joshua ahead of the latter’s bout with Dillian Whyte; TKV expects an aggressive AJ to hurt Whyte and explains why he needs to fight Olympic medallist Frazer Clarke to prove where he belongs in the heavyweight division

Jeamie TKV has been in Texas sparring a “very aggressive” Anthony Joshua as he hopes to snare an eventual fight with his own British rival Frazer Clarke.

“We were just going back and forth. It was good, it was fun,” TKV told Sportnow. “I think we’re going to get a very aggressive Anthony Joshua. He’s being aggressive in sparring. Very aggressive.

“I feel like he’s going to put on a vicious performance against Dillian Whyte. He might even hurt Dillian Whyte with the way he’s been doing things.”

TKV believes his camps with former world champion Joshua will stand him in good stead while he builds his way to a clash with Olympic bronze medallist Clarke.

“The fact that I’m able to rub shoulders with a certain group of athletes, Errol Spence, Ryan Garcia at the moment, Frank Martin and so on and so on, including AJ,” TKV said.

“These people are considered elite and at the top of their sport so I’m able to bond with them, get to know them personally, see how they do things, take what they do and bring it back into camp and see if it works for me.

“It’s helped me measure what level I can get to.”

He believes he can overtake Frazer Clarke.

“I want to take his head off. Every time I see him I want to take his head off. As soon as that fight is made I’m going to be over the moon because I’ve always wanted to get my hands on Frazer Clarke,” TKV said

“Just the disrespect. I don’t like people disrespecting me,” he continued. “I nip it in the bud. I’m trying to nip that one in the bud.

“Credit to him, he’s done a lot, he’s done a lot in boxing. He’s had a lot of fights. His record and his resume speaks for itself. That’s probably why he feels like no one is on his level. But he needs to check again because I feel like I’m at that level or above.

“To show my level against him, that’s the reason I need that fight as well.”

A fight with Clarke won’t be immediate. Clarke will box Dave Allen on the September 2 Liam Smith vs Chris Eubank Jr undercard on Sportnow Box Office.

“Dave Allen’s a game competitor. He’s very tough. He’s proven himself many times, he’s been at that big stage. He’s had big fights, he’s headlined before. He is a dangerous fighter. But I don’t think he’s that same dangerous fighter anymore,” TKV reflected.

“He hasn’t been as active as he used to be. I do feel like Frazer Clarke is going to beat him and hit him at will. I feel like Frazer Clarke could stop him.”

He promises he’d be much more of a threat to the Burton man.

“He knows it’s a dangerous fight. He knows I’ll cause him trouble. He knows that right now won’t be the right time,” TKV said.

“When it’s time we’ll get it cracking. Because I know we’re both fighters.”

Anthony Joshua’s former trainer, Robert Garcia, believes some in the sport may be overlooking his power in a potential match-up with Deontay Wilder.

Garcia helmed Joshua’s corner for just one fight – a rematch loss to Oleksandr Usyk – and the pair split not long after.

Now with a win under his belt against Jermaine Franklin and a rematch with Dillian Whyte coming up, Joshua is seemingly one fight away from making the heavyweight banger against Wilder that has been atop fans’ lists for some time.

As with every Wilder fight, the narrative has focused on his incredible punch power. He has 42 knockouts from 43 wins, and the ultimate highlight reel when it comes to stoppages.

Speaking to Boxing Social, Garcia said that people may be overlooking his former charge’s own capability to end contests early, and believes the Brit is just as likely to get a knockout as the American is

“It’s a huge fight … I never felt Wilder’s power, but I’m pretty sure he hits hard, but so does Anthony. People might think that Wilder has insane power where he’s gonna be much stronger or hits harder than Anthony. I don’t know.

I’ve never felt Wilder’s power but I have felt Anthony. Anthony has great power. Unbelievable power. I think it’s one of those fights where whoever lands first, whoever wants it more, is gonna be the winner.

It’s a fight that I would love to see even though I’m not working with Anthony.”

Garcia praised ‘Anthony Joshua’s decision to link up with Texan trainer, Derrick James, believing him to be the coach of the moment and a man well-prepared to get the best out of the former unified champion.

First up, Joshua faces Whyte in a domestic grudge match with plenty of previous bad blood. Should he come through unscathed, it’s understood that the Wilder fight is all but signed.