By Daniel Edu

Anthony Joshua, the Nigerian-born British heavyweight boxer, has declared his intent to engage in a “war” with Finnish heavyweight boxer Robert Helenius in their upcoming match scheduled for tonight, August 12. Robert Helenius stepped in to replace Dillian Whyte, who withdrew from the fight after failing a drug test and is currently under investigation. Despite the change in opponent, the plans for the August 12 fight at London’s O2 Arena remain unchanged, with the match set to take place at 10 p.m. local time as originally scheduled. Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of the bout, Anthony Joshua emphasized his focus on performing well in the fight: “I block out everyone’s expectations and opinions, just do my job. That’s all that matters. We’re going to war, we’re going to fight. This is just another stepping stone to greatness.” Regarding his preparation for the fight, Joshua, a former two-time world heavyweight champion, stated, “I train hard, which means I can fight hard. There’s always something tempting us, but I think young athletes should focus on the task at hand. I am laser-focused on the win.” During the pre-fight weight check, Joshua weighed 250 pounds, the same weight he had when facing Wladimir Klitschko in 2017, while Helenius weighed 249.4 pounds. While Joshua has enjoyed victories over prominent opponents such as Klitschko, Joseph Parker, and Andy Ruiz, he has faced challenges against Oleksandr Usyk, losing twice in a row to him. Helenius, with a record of 32 wins and 4 losses, is entering the bout following a recent victory by third-round knockout.