After Clash With Dillian Whyte, Anthony Joshua Resolved To Fight Helenius With Lesser Return.
According to Hearn, Anthony Joshua will be fighting Robert Helenius on Saturday night instead of Dillian Whyte because the sworn rivalry rematch between Joshua the do has been canceled.
The report revealed that the highly anticipated rematch was canceled after Whyte's Voluntary Anti-Doping Association VADA test result showed a deficiency of adverse analytical findings.
The re-match fight between Joshua and Whyte is dated back to their match in 2015, when Joshua gave Whyte a resounding knockout in the seventh round of their heated British title fight, which took place at the O2 happen eight years ago. The fight was meant to avenge the loss to his rival.
Whyte has been protesting his innocence about the test results and the fight being canceled without sparing him any chance to prove his innocence.
On his social media handle, he wrote: "I am shocked and unhappy to learn of my report from VADA of adverse findings. I can strongly prove without an iota of doubt that I have never taken any form of the reported substance at any point in my life."
"I am quite innocent and I ask to be spared more time to go through this process again to prove my innocence without anyone jumping to conclusions."
The information from Hearn's Matchroom company which came at 00:7am, reads: "The Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) informed the Association of Boxing Commissions and the British Boxing Board of Control today that Dillian Whyte had yielded unfavorable analytical results after the voluntary test as part of the random anti-doping protocol. After more investigation, Helenius, who has a total of 32 wins and four losses, was disqualified from the fight with less than a week’s notice."
Despite the canceled fight, Joshua will still be facing Hellenius on Saturday night. However, the fight will not be available on pay-per-view due to its decreased popularity, resulting in Joshua's slightly lower financial return.
"I respect Helenius, and I must say, I respect any male or female who dares to step into the ring," Joshua said.
"I am less focused on the win. I can move forward to bigger and better things. However, the road map has a traditional checkpoint, come Saturday night, may the best man win."
Up until now, Hearn has been prompt in acknowledging the financial aspects of the bout. To discourage Anthony Joshua, he clarified what the payment for the match would entail.
"... Looking at the financial difference in Joshua's fight with Hellenius, the pay is lesser, but he wants to fight, but in terms of non-pay-per-view, and I think this is one of the intensest we've ever done."
Robert Hellenius, on the other hand, shared his excitement about the fight on the 12th of August. He's kept an optimistic outlook on the situation and appears ready to rumble. Talking about his preparedness for the battle, Hellenius stated that he wasn't going to let the opportunity go past him.
"I am willing to face any challenge at short notice," he said.
Hearn explained more about the decision behind choosing Helenius to fight with Joshua, saying that they wanted someone who could prepare him for Deontay Wilder, someone who is credible and who would boldly come to fight.