Robert Helenius needed to feel good about himself. As he strolled to the ring for his showdown against Mika Mielonen just last weekend, he desperately wanted to erase the memories of what took place prior. In October of 2022, he was violently put away in the first round against Deontay Wilder. His confidence ticked up as he got rid of Mielonen in the third. Now, he’ll look to keep the momentum going.
“I’m gonna beat Anthony Joshua,” Helenius told Fight Hub TV.
A few days after Dillian Whyte tested positive for a banned substance in a VADA issued drug test, Joshua (25-3, 22 KOs) needed an opponent to keep the show going. So, with Helenius recently picking up a win, he was given the call. Everything made sense for the 39-year-old both financially and opportunity-wise.
Joshua, of course, will look to bounce Helenius’ unconscious skull off the mat when the two square off at the O2 Arena in the United Kingdom this Saturday night. Although both men have two completely different fighting styles, they have one common goal, take down Deontay Wilder.
According to promoter Eddie Hearn, Joshua and Wilder will swap fists in the coming months as long as Joshua takes care of business. Helenius, on the other hand, wants to be an unmovable roadblock. But more than just playing the spoiler role, the man nicknamed “The Nordic Nightmare,” has a hard time sleeping at night. Vivid images of Wilder cracking him in that opening round are burned into his brain.
Erasing the past isn’t an option but if Helenius (32-4, 21 KOs) is able to upset the odds and beat Joshua, he’s hoping that it will be enough for him to grab a rematch against the man who left him staring up at the ceiling lights.
“I hope so, I hope so,” said Helenius in reference to a Wilder rematch. “I hope to redeem myself and show my worth.”