Robert Helenius was defeated by Anthony Joshua at the O2 Arena in London on Saturday after just seven rounds.
Helenius (39) was taken aback when he managed to drag Joshua (32) into the second half of their fight, but Joshua quickly put an end to his attempts with a single blow, a devastating right cross to the jaw that down him severely at 1-27 of the seventh round.
On the show, Joshua was expected to rekindle his feud with his former foe Dillan Whyte. But after Whyte’s negative analytical results in the pre-fight anti-doping tests, that fight had to be called off.
It left Joshua searching for a new opponent with only a week’s notice, and Helenius made himself available for this fight shortly after taking a three-round victory against Mika Mielonen last weekend in Finland.
It will be recalled that Deontay Wilder knocked out Helenius in the opening round of their fight in October, with Helenius entering the ring with 32 victories and four losses from his 36 professional fights.
On Saturday, however, he avoided repeating that humiliating defeat, but boos were heard during the third round at London’s O2 Arena due to Joshua’s cautious and nervy start.
Joshua, a former unified champion, is determined to reclaim a title and for him, Helenius was just another step on the road back.
He was patient, he softened Helenius up with the occasional combination and then delivered a brutal ending.
By the second round, Joshua was taking control. He lunged in with a left hook to catch Helenius. His jab thumped into the body but he wouldn’t rush himself.
Joshua might gradually have been taking the measure of this short-notice opponent, having a close look at him. But that wasn’t what the crowd wanted to see. They wanted more action.
As early as the third round boos began to ring out from some quarters of the arena, a demand for urgency.
Joshua answered that call though and launched a right cross flush into Helenius’ jaw. It connected and a cursory glance at Helenius showed it was a hurtful punch.
But the Finn collected himself. He withstood a charge in the next round and boxed through it. In the fifth, with Helenius backed into the ropes, Joshua smacked in a right that struck so hard the thud was audible.
The pace leaked out of the contest in the sixth round and if Joshua was affronted to see Helenius still in with him in the latter half of the contest, he finished matters with a sudden burst of speed.
His jab flicked out, distracting Helenius and the right carved a path through to hit the Finn cleanly to the jaw.
The blasting shot dropped him heavily, ending the contest at once.
The result, and the manner of the finish, clearly delighted Joshua. He even left the ring to celebrate before returning to have his hand formally raised by the referee.
He took his time but eventually, Joshua got exactly the ending he wanted and gave his fans what they came to see when he took out Helenius with a powerful right-hand punch.