Anthony Joshua vs. Robert Helenius: Fight Odds, Live Stream, Predictions
Anthony Joshua will attempt to continue his climb back into the title picture with a heavyweight clash against Robert Helenius at the O2 Arena in London, England.
The powerful heavyweight got back into the win column in his last outing. He outclassed Jermaine Franklin on the way to a unanimous decision.
Joshua was originally slated to rematch Dillian Whyte on Saturday. The two first met back in 2015 with Joshua knocking out Whyte in the seventh round. However, the 35-year-old was pulled for the fight due to a failed pre-fight drug test.
Helenius agreed to step in on late notice just one week after knocking out Mika Mielonen to at least salvage the fight card. The 39-year-old will try to pull off an improbable upset in front of Joshua's home country.
Here's all you need to know to catch the heavyweight contest.
Fight Info and Odds
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When: Saturday, August 12 at 2 p.m. ET (main event ringwalk approximately 5 p.m. ET)
Where: O2 Arena in London, England
Live stream: DAZN
Odds: Joshua -1600 (bet $1,600 to win $100), Helenius +880 ($100 bet wins $880)
Odds via Oddschecker
Top Storylines
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Can Joshua Continue His Return to Form?
The last time we saw Anthony Joshua, he was comfortably controlling the fight against Jermaine Franklin on the way to a unanimous decision.
He didn't look like Joshua in his prime. Instead, he was a more cautious version of himself, controlling the fight with the jab but not really opening up his repertoire.
In short, he won because he was the more skilled fighter without actually going for the finish.
In truth, he could simply rinse and repeat here. Helenius is 39 years old, taking this fight on incredibly short notice and has lost every time he has stepped up in competition to the likes of Dyllian White and Deontay Wilder.
For Joshua, this isn't about whether he wins or not, it's about what he looks like doing it.
If he hopes to get back to being a titleholder he needs to not just win, but win convincingly..
Can Helenius Turn This into a Brawl?
Robert Helenius has also noticed a more tentative Joshua. The Finnish fighter has also noted that he believes it's a mixture of being a little more shy, but a deliberate move under new trainer Derrick James.
"Of course, I think he's a little bit gun-shy from his earlier fights," he told reporters. "Or I don't know if it's gun-shyness anymore. I think it's more of his change in his technique with a new trainer. And they're making him [make] more movements, more checking around, not going in aggressively, like he did in the beginning of his career."
For better or worse, Helenius fights aggressively. The last seven of his fights have ended in knockout with five wins and two losses. That knock out or get knocked out mentality is likely his best ticket to upsetting Joshua.
If this is a technical fight where Joshua gets to control the pace and range then it's going to be a one-sided rout on the scorecards.
But if Helenius can turn it into a slugfest then the odds start getting closer to even.
Prediction
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There's a reason the odds are tilted way in Joshua's favor. He's clearly the better boxer and it makes sense that he wanted to salvage the date. Joshua likely has bigger fights in his sights and picking up a win here is another step in that direction.
That's why it's hard to see him making the kind of mistake that could get him caught by the Nordic Nightmare.
We aren't likely to see the more aggressive, ruthless version of Joshua that was once a champion. He has enough name recognition that wins are going to get him to where he wants to be.
Maybe Helenius lands something that makes the fight interesting at some point, but look for Joshua to build a lead on the scorecards behind his jab and superior defensive fighting.
Prediction: Joshua via decision
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