The Return Of The Right Hand
One.
That’s how many stoppage wins Anthony Joshua had in the last five years heading into his fight with Robert Helenius this weekend.
From a loss of confidence following his defeat to Andy Ruiz, consecutive losses to Oleksandr Usyk or the chopping and changing of his team, there were plenty of excuses Joshua could have used for his dip in knockout form.
However, on Saturday night, that all changed.
After a below-par undercard, the O2 needed a spark and it was down to the main man to deliver.
The fight started slowly. The first few rounds saw both fighters sizing each other up and looking to establish their jabs.
It even got to the point in the third round where boos could be heard coming from the crowd. Not the sort of thing you expect to hear at a Joshua fight.
Nevertheless, the fight slowly started to become a little more interesting.
It was clear that Joshua wanted to think his way through the fight and not be reckless, but there wasn’t a lot coming back from Helenius, showcased by the fact he landed just 12 power punches over the course of the contest.
Heading into the sixth and it was getting to that stage where you’re screaming for Joshua to go through the gears. He was starting to get to the Finn, but to no obvious effect.
In the seventh round, however, that all changed.
A double range finding jab to the body, followed by a stiff jab to Helenius’s midriff, saw him bounce back onto the ropes, providing Joshua with the perfect opportunity. And boy did he take it.
A huge right hand landed flush on Helenius’s chin and the fight was over.
Joshua had claimed his second stoppage win in nearly five years.
It now looks as though Joshua will take on Deontay Wilder in January next year.
Apart from size, Wilder is a completely different proposition to Helenius, but what we did see at the O2 was a much cooler and composed Joshua who appeared to be in his element. Yes, he started slowly but that was inevitable given the events of the previous week and the late change of opponent. With plenty of notice for Wilder, it’s only a matter of time until we find out whether we are seeing the second coming of AJ.
Meanwhile, on the undercard, Derek Chisora and Gerald Washington failed to deliver with Del Boy claiming a unanimous points decision win. Hrgovic versus McKean was a tough watch as the Croat stopped the Aussie in the final round but neither fighter performed to their true capabilities.
Johnny Fisher did, however, pick up his first title as a professional after he stopped the tough Harry Armstrong to claim the Southern Area Heavyweight title and there were also points wins on the card for Campbell Hatton, George Liddard, Brandon Scott and Maisey Rose Courtenay.
In Arizona, Emmanuel Navarrete defeated Oscar Valdez to retain his WBO super-featherweight in a fight of the year contender.
The problem now lies in the fact that from the four champions at 130lbs, none of them are under the same promotional banner, meaning unification fights may be hard to come by, especially in the near future.
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