Matchroom Boxing recently released a statement regarding Robert Helenius’ random drug test. Helenius was tested a day before his fight against Joshua, and his tests came back with ‘adverse analytical findings. Matchroom Boxing mentioned in their statement that they were made aware of the findings on August 25, 13 days after the fight.
Going into the fight, it was clear that Joshua was the favorite, considering his recent form and also the age advantage. He started the fight cautiously, much to the dismay of the crowd who ended up booing the Brit to express their disappointment. The easy pace set up by Joshua in the first half of the fight favored Helenius, who seemed comfortable with the proceedings.
ℹ️ Official statement on Robert Helenius pic.twitter.com/OuZX9wXKOV
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) August 25, 2023
In the latter half, Joshua, after figuring out Helenius’s range, started to put some pressure. Finally, the tactic paid off when Joshua landed a clean right that resulted in a KO win. As such, the fight ended in the 7th round with the crowd celebrating along with Joshua.
Helenius, 39, had taken the fight on 4 days’ notice and was commended for his ability to agree to fight Joshua on such short notice. Now, Matchroom Boxing has deferred to the relevant regulatory authorities regarding the next steps. A part of the statement mentioned “Matchroom defers to the relevant regulatory authorities on next steps. We vehemently continue to support voluntary anti-doping testing. We are committed to promoting a clean and fair sport for all athletes.”
Robert Helenius replaced Dillian Whyte, who also failed the VADA test
Helenius, who lost his heavyweight bout against Anthony Joshua at the 02 Arena in London on August 12, was a replacement for Dillian Whyte. Surprisingly, Whyte was replaced because he also failed a drug test in a similar fashion as Helenius.
Anthony Joshua KOs Robert Helenius with a devastating right hand from over the top in RD7 😳 #JoshuaHelenius | #Boxing pic.twitter.com/EsrUPwP6Pj
— RINGOFHIGHLIGHTS (@ringofhighlight) August 12, 2023
A week prior to the fight between Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte, the latter was randomly tested and his drug test returned with ‘adverse analytical findings’. This led to Helenius’ inclusion and subsequent defeat.
The win gave Joshua confidence, leading into his next fight against Deontay Wilder. After a string of losses against Oleksandr Usyk, Joshua has finally gained some positive momentum, which he will use to claw his way back to a title fight.
In spite of his win, Joshua still seems concerned about doping in the sport of boxing. When asked by BBC Sport if boxing has an issue with doping in the build-up to the bout at the O2 Arena, two-time world champion Joshua said: “The thing is, people do wonder ‘how long has this been going on?’. It makes me wonder ‘how long has this situation been going on?’. In a way, I’m not shocked anymore in boxing.”
What do you guys think? Does boxing have an inherent drug problem?