Anthony Joshua, a British heavyweight fighter with Nigerian roots, knocked out Robert Helenius in the seventh round of their match at London’s famous O2 Arena.
In the first few rounds, AJ was careful, but then he fought back with a powerful right hook that hit Helenius in the jaw and ended the fight quickly.
The crowd’s early boos seemed to spur AJ on, and he slowly gained speed during the fight, which led to the fight’s exciting end.
This win, Joshua’s first by knockout in more than two years, puts him in a good position to fight American fighter Deontay Wilder in January.
AJ talked about his performance on BBC Radio 5 Live. He said, “In this business, you have to stay grounded and know that sports are unpredictable. Tonight, I did what I had to do.”
When asked about a possible fight with Wilder, AJ made a joke from the ring by asking, “Is there a doctor here?” My back is being a pain. I want to make the heavyweight class better.”
Joshua left the ring after his knockout win, his face glowing with happiness, to loud cheers from the crowd. He even had a beer with Conor McGregor, an Irish mixed martial arts star who is well-known around the world.
Helenius took the fight on short notice after Dillian Whyte failed a volunteer drug test. He was up against a tough opponent. Even though he lost, he showed good grace by giving Joshua the win and leaving the ring on his own.
With this win, Joshua’s record goes up to an amazing 26 wins, 23 of which were knockouts. He has only lost three times.
Helenius, who plays for Finland, has only lost five of his 36 professional matches, which shows how tough he is even when playing against strong opponents.
