The last time Anthony Joshua fought twice in the same calendar year was in 2019 when he suffered his first career loss to Andy Ruiz Jr. in the summer and rebounded later in the winter to regain the heavyweight titles.
His Saturday night date almost slipped through his hands when original opponent Dillian Whyte was pulled from their planned rematch due to adverse findings in a random VADA drug test.
Robert Helenius (32-4, 21 KOs) – fresh off a third-round knockout win Saturday in a stay-busy fight – stepped in to save the show, and the Nordic fighter will give Joshua (25-3, 22 KOs) the second fight of the year he was looking for as he builds toward potential super fights against the likes of Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury.
“I looked at the momentum I need, even if I am going to fight in December. I need to build momentum,” Joshua told BoxingScene.com and a handful of other reporters.
“I kind of canceled the end-of-the-year fight [for now]. Looking back at previous negotiations with leading heavyweights in the division it’s always been complicated, back and forths, and never materialized.
“Since 2019, this is the first time I am having [multiple fights in the same year]. Crazy. That’s not good for any fighter. Inactivity is not good. Look, my last fight with Jermaine Franklin – [a unanimous decision win in April] – no knockout, maybe not the most spectacular performance, but at least I’m starting to get active again.
“Fighting once a year, you become soft. You’re not as tough as you once were, so I am getting that battle skin again. That will be really good for me. If I win in spectacular fashion, it’s a massive confidence booster. It gives me and [trainer] Derrick [James] more bonding time as we perfect our craft. It’s what I am supposed to be doing as a warrior, on the battlefield conquering. I’m living my dream.”
The 33-year-old Joshua has a 3-3 record since 2019, with his other two losses coming against current unified heavyweight titlist Oleksandr Usyk.
Joshua is confident he can have a turn-back-the-clock performance – he just needs his crack at it.
“I hope I can bring an exciting style. I feel that I had to go through this process. I really need August 12 for everything that I have gone through to merge together and bring back an exciting performance. A knockout is needed, I agree,” said Joshua.
“Active fighters, we’re all fighting once a year now. I don’t know what it is. The networks might be paying too much. I just need to get busy again.”
Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer, and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, through email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com, or via www.ManoukAkopyan.com.