By Jake Tiernan: Eddie Hearn stated moments ago on social media that he’ll have an update on Anthony Joshua tomorrow morning for his headliner this Saturday, August 12th, at the O2 Arena in London.
Hearn isn’t giving any tips, but it’s expected to be an older, past-their-prime heavyweight. 39-year-old Robert Helenius (32-4, 21 KOs) has been mentioned as a strong possibility for Joshua’s opponent.
Helenius is coming off a third round knockout win over Mika Mielonen last Saturday night in Finland. Before that, Helenius was knocked out in the first round by Deontay Wilder last October.
According to Dan Rafael, Joshua’s deal with DAZN for Saturday isn’t being restructured, and the fight will no longer be on PPV in the UK, which makes sense.
Originally, Joshua was supposed to be fighting the popular British fighter Dillian Whyte, but he was, but he was removed from the card after testing positive for a banned substance. Now that Whyte’s gone, Joshua is expected to fight a journeyman-level opponent that fans won’t be excited to see.
“Per sources, Matchroom working with Joshua and DAZN on a restructured deal to go forward with Saturday’s card that would no longer be a PPV in the UK,” said Dan Rafael on Twitter.
Update tomorrow morning. Stand by 👊 pic.twitter.com/PNWKrs7JbO
— Eddie Hearn (@EddieHearn) August 7, 2023
“My knowledge is that this was not just one specific test that he felt that he failed. It was more than one,” said Dan Rafael to Boxing King Media about Dillian Whyte’s failed drug tests with VADA.
“Now, obviously, that’s not a good situation, but what it could mean, and this is not uncommon. We’ve dealt with this on a number of fighters that have had failed tests, and the way that VADA operates, whoever signed up for it, they can be tested pretty much anytime.
“Let’s just say for the sake of argument that a collection person went to see Dillian Whyte on Sunday, whatever week. They collected a sample, and they send in the sample to the lab, and then before that sample is even returned because it takes a couple of weeks to get the results back.
“Three or four days later, they went back, and they tested them again, and then six days later, they went and tested them again, and now all three of those tests are with the lab. It takes time for them to come back and when they come back, they’re all positive.
“They’re probably all positive because they’re all related to the same consumption of whatever was taken or given or, you know in the body. It was all a positive test from that same exact situation.
“So yeah, it’s three tests, but it would probably be from the same event in terms of when the substance was ingested either via a drink or capsule or injection or whatever, but it’s all coming from the same thing.
“But it’s still not a good thing, but yeah, Dillian Whyte’s got some explaining to do, as they say.
“If Matchroom Boxing put out their statement that the fight was canceled on Saturday morning my time here in the United States, so what? I guess early afternoon.”
