Anthony Joshua insisted he remained focused on securing victory on Saturday night and was not distracted by thoughts of future fights when he goes up against Otto Wallin in Saudi Arabia.

The 34-year-old is aiming to make it three wins from three in 2023 having already beaten Jermaine Franklin Jr by unanimous decision in April before securing a seventh-round stoppage against Robert Helenius in August to earn a 26th professional career victory.

Saturday’s bout is an important clash for the former two-time world heavyweight champion, who is looking to insert himself back into the top of the heavyweight division.

Speaking after Friday’s weigh-in, Joshua said: “If my prayers are answered, I’ll get the win.

“I’ve been focused, praying hard and whatever God wants from me, I’m going to follow that path. I’m making sure it’s not just prayer, I’m following up by action as well.”

With talk of a proposed fight against Deontay Wilder – who faces Joseph Parker on the same bill – Joshua insisted he remained focused on securing success on Saturday night before considering future fights.

He said: “I’m a serious fighter, I’m a serious businessman, I’ve got a great team behind me and they’re handling business. As I always say, let me focus on what I’ve got to focus on.

“Without Saturday night there is no future. Saturday night I’ve been saying all week is my main focus. Whatever happens in the ring, I know that’s where my heart is. I need to get this win.”

Joshua has recorded three career losses so far, beaten by Andy Ruiz in 2019 before Oleksandr Usyk defeated him twice, and comes into Saturday’s fight weighing 251 pounds, while Wallin came in at 238.6 pounds.

The Swedish southpaw has only one career loss to date against Tyson Fury and insisted there would be a “new king” on Saturday.

Wallin said: “I’m a small fighter. I’m a southpaw. I’ve trained for this moment for a very long time so I’m very much ready for it.

“I know tomorrow there’s going to be a new king and he’s from Sweden.”

Wilder and Parker will also go head-to-head in the other main showpiece this weekend.

Wilder comes into the bout at a lean 213 pounds compared to Parker’s 245.3 pounds and the heavy hitter, who has won 42 of his 43 victories by knockout, insisted Parker had “never felt the power” he possessed.

“I’m just this calm and collected,” Wilder said.

“I’ve been here many times before and I’ve fought his style before. He’s never fought a style like mine. He’s never felt the power that I bring and possess.”

Parker vowed to “be aggressive” ahead of their meeting.

He said: “We’re here, we’re ready and I can’t wait.

“I’m going to be aggressive, go in there, execute the plan, follow the strategies and get the win.”

Robert Helenius failed a pre-fight drugs test prior to his recent heavyweight fight with former world champion Anthony Joshua, it has been revealed.

The 39-year-old Finn, knocked out by Joshua in the seventh round at London’s O2 Arena on August 12, had stepped in as a late replacement for Dillian Whyte, who had failed a drugs test himself.

Fight promoter Matchroom Boxing confirmed in a statement on Twitter that Helenius had “returned an adverse analytical finding” after being voluntarily tested on August 11.

Matchroom Boxing said: “Today, the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) has informed Matchroom and the British Boxing Board of Control that Robert Helenius has returned an adverse analytical finding as part of a random anti-doping protocol.

“Helenius was voluntarily tested on Friday, 11 August before the heavyweight fighter’s defeat by Anthony Joshua in London on Saturday, 12 August. The result was made known to Matchroom today.

“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.”

Joshua had been scheduled to fight British rival Whyte at the O2 Arena on August 12 before the latter returned an adverse finding from a doping test.

Whyte later said he was “shocked and devastated” to learn of VADA’s findings and intended to prove his innocence.

Anthony Joshua will try to ignore speculation and comparisons with Deontay Wilder when he steps into the ring to face Robert Helenius at London’s O2 Arena on Saturday.

Helenius was only drafted in at the 11th hour when original opponent Dillian Whyte failed a drugs test with the Voluntary Anti-Doping Assocation (VADA), but it has added further intrigue with Wilder’s shadow looming over the Briton.

The talk surrounding Joshua, like for many of his recent fights, is about what next and talks between his camp and Wilder’s team continue over a proposed clash at the end of this year or at the start of 2024.

An eagerly-anticipated future bout between two former world heavyweight champions will only happen if Joshua shuts out the noise to do the business against Helenius, who suffered a first-round knock-out to Wilder in October.

“I have to ignore it. It is one step at a time,” Joshua insisted when asked about ex-WBC belt holder Wilder.

“When I fought Jason Gavern, I knocked him out, Wilder took longer. When I fought Eric Molina, I knocked him out in three and Wilder took nine rounds.

“There will always be comparisons. This is my own fight with Helenius, no-one else’s. I can’t fail.”

Joshua repeated the same sentiments before a laboured display on his way to a unanimous points victory against Jermaine Franklin in April, which got the Finchley boxer back on the comeback trail, but his preparation for this 29th contest of his career has been far from ideal.

Last weekend, Joshua trained knowing it could all be for nothing after he discovered on Saturday morning that Whyte had been pulled from the show but Friday’s fiery weigh-in exchange with Helenius showed he is locked in.

Joshua tipped the scales at 17st and 12lbs, while Helenius was a pound lighter, before the duo exchanged words – with the British heavyweight inviting his veteran opponent to fight there and then instead of 24 hours later if he wished.

Joshua admitted: “There was one session where I was like, ‘what are we training for?’ We trained on Saturday and maybe then I felt what am I training for, but we just had to flip the coin.

“I could spend more time complaining about it, due to this late replacement whoever it might be, but I couldn’t put my energy into complaining. I had to change the script.”

Joshua, who reached the pinnacle of the sport with a victory over Wladimir Klitschko at a sold-out Wembley in 2017, still believes he can become world champion again but Helenius, who should be on a family holiday in Lapland after he beat Mika Mielonen inside a 15th-century castle in Finland last weekend, has other ideas.

Helenius added: “I can’t compare him to Wilder. I have also been sparring before with David Haye, I have been sparring the Klitschkos, both of them, I have been sparring Tyson Fury, Wilder.

“I have even been sparring Joshua when he was going against Klitschko so I have been a long time in this game.

“He is a tough guy. I think we went eight-round sessions. It was pretty close. Hard-hitter, good technicals, a little bit robotic but his last fight, he made a good fight against Jermaine.

“I haven’t been in the ring for a while with him but now is the best time to win.

“Nobody will remember a coward.”

A heated weigh-in on Friday further demonstrated Anthony Joshua’s laser focus on Robert Helenius despite a potential bout with Deontay Wilder looming in the background.

Joshua and Helenius took part in an intense staredown at Westfields in Shepherds Bush after they both tipped the scales just shy of 18 stone ahead of Saturday’s fight at the O2 Arena in London.

Helenius was only drafted in at the 11th hour when original opponent Dillian Whyte failed a drugs test with the Voluntary Anti-Doping Assocation (VADA) and while the Finnish boxer ensured the show would still go on, his aim now is to throw a spanner in the works for the home favourite.

The talk surrounding Joshua, like for many of his recent fights, is about what next and talks between his camp and Wilder’s team continue over a proposed clash at the end of this year or at the start of 2024.

An eagerly-anticipated future bout between two former world heavyweight champions will only happen if Joshua shuts out comparisons with Wilder to do the business against Helenius, who suffered a first-round knock-out to the American in October.

“I have to ignore it. It is one step at a time,” Joshua insisted when asked about ex-WBC belt holder Wilder.

“When I fought Jason Gavern, I knocked him out, Wilder took longer. When I fought Eric Molina, I knocked him out in three and Wilder took nine rounds.

“There will always be comparisons. This is my own fight with Helenius, no-one else’s. I can’t fail.”

Joshua has carried that win-at-all-costs mentality for a number of years, but it failed to prevent a shock loss in 2019 to Andy Ruiz Jr – who was also a late replacement for Jarrell Miller following a failed drugs test – and consecutive defeats to Oleksandr Usyk.

A laboured display on his way to a unanimous points victory against Jermaine Franklin in April got the Finchley boxer back on the comeback trail, but his preparation for this 29th contest of his career has been far from ideal.

Last weekend, Joshua trained knowing it could all be for nothing after he discovered on Saturday morning that Whyte had been pulled from the show but Friday’s fiery exchange with Helenius showed he is locked in.

Joshua tipped the scales at 17st and 12lbs, while Helenius was a pound lighter, before the duo exchanged words – with the British heavyweight inviting his veteran opponent to fight there and then instead of 24 hours later if he wished.

Even though Joshua will no longer being going head-to-head with old rival Whyte, he is adamant no stone has been left unturned during this second camp with trainer Derrick James.

He admitted: “There was one session where I was like, ‘what are we training for?’ We trained on Saturday and maybe then I felt what am I training for, but we just had to flip the coin.

“I could spend more time complaining about it, due to this late replacement whoever it might be, but I couldn’t put my energy into complaining. I had to change the script, change the screensaver on my phone.

“It’s me and (Wladimir) Klitschko now. Before it was me and Dillian at the weigh-in. I just wanted to visualise what my life’s focused on at the minute.”

Victory over Klitschko at a sold-out Wembley in 2017 helped Joshua reach the pinnacle of the sport and despite recent setbacks against Usyk, he is confident another shot at a world title will present itself.

Given Joshua turns 34 in October, it needs to be sooner rather than later, but he remains comfortable in his own skin after becoming only the ninth British heavyweight to become world champion – via a short spell in prison after a teenage life embroiled in drugs and crime in England’s capital.

“Can I be champion again? Yeah. Definitely. I don’t think it’s that hard to fight for one belt, but it’s challenging to unify that’s hard. The accumulation of belts takes years,” Joshua reflected.

“I was the champion. When you’re a champion, it’s deserved and I’m not the champion any more. It’s natural.

“It’s a building process. So, it’s back to the O2 and travelling around, hopefully fighting in different arenas, maybe Manchester (Arena) next.

“Once I fight the right people we could easily go back to a stadium. You know who these names are.

“Everyone loves a winner. Losers, especially in boxing, get no credibility. I never looked at it being about me. ‘Oh they love me’. No, they just loved the belt.

“I worked hard outside boxing to build my brand. I always believed it’s never just about boxing. You can’t let boxing define you. There has to be more to you.

“I thought I will always have my own identity as a person before I am identified as a champion.”

Finland’s Robert Helenius should be on holiday with his family in Lapland but instead this Saturday will attempt to stun Anthony Joshua and ensure he gets another shot at Deontay Wilder.

Helenius had just claimed the 32nd victory of his professional career when he was posed the question of whether he would accept Matchroom’s SOS call to step in as an 11th-hour replacement at London’s O2 Arena for Dillian Whyte, who failed a drugs test with the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association.

With wraps still on his hands and sweat from a third-round victory over Mika Mielonen inside a 15th-century castle in Finland, Helenius decided to roll the dice and sent Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn a video on Saturday night to confirm he was in.

A day later and Helenius’ manager Markus Sundman sealed the deal over the phone while at a zoo with his family, which meant his 39-year-old boxer was set to be thrust back into the limelight.

Last October, Helenius suffered a vicious first-round knock-out loss to former world heavyweight champion Wilder in New York and, while many have viewed this fight for Joshua as merely a stepping stone to a bout with the ex-WBC belt holder, his last-minute opponent has other ideas.

“Yeah, I have to get a rematch. I have to redeem myself,” Helenius said of Wilder, who is being lined up to face Joshua in December or the start of 2024.

“I had just finished the last fight on Saturday and my manager came to me and said I have something to ask you.

“He said it was the Joshua fight and I was like, ‘oh man. Let me think’. And 10 minutes I thought about it and after that I was like, ‘yeah, let’s do this,’ This is what we do.

“I would probably be in Lapland in the forest. Tenting, fishing, hunting, relaxing.

“I haven’t had a lot of time but I have been hunting now and then. That was the plan.”

It is no longer the plan for Helenius, or his wife and three children, with his mind now cast back to 2017, when he sparred with Joshua ahead of the British heavyweight fighting Wladimir Klitschko.

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Victory over Klitschko at a sold-out Wembley helped take the Finchley boxer to the pinnacle of the sport, but recent years have been leaner with back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk followed by a laboured display against Jermaine Franklin in April.

It was in a shock loss to Andy Ruiz Jr at Madison Square Garden in 2019 that Joshua’s previously untouchable crown slipped for the first time and there is much debate about whether he has been the same since, but the 29th opponent of his career knows a thing or two about mental scars from boxing.

Helenius insisted: “I can’t compare him to Wilder. I have also been sparring before with David Haye, I have been sparring the Klitschkos, both of them, I have been sparring Tyson Fury, Wilder.

“I have even been sparring Joshua when he was going against Klitschko so I have been a long time in this game.

“He is a tough guy. I think we went eight-round sessions. It was pretty closer. Hard-hitter, good technicals, a little bit robotic but his last fight, he made a good fight against Jermaine.

“I have seen that (change) but I think with his last fights, because he didn’t get knocked out against Usyk and his last fight he didn’t get knocked out, he did a pretty good fight and showed he has still got it.

“Of course you have to come over the gun-shyness after you get knocked out. I have been knocked out three times in my life and the first was the really bad one. I was probably depressed for two or three months after that.”

Johann Duhaupas inflicted that painful maiden loss of Helenius’ career in 2016, eight years after his debut, and perhaps unsurprisingly for a 36-fight veteran, the ‘Nordic Nightmare’ is reflective about his past experiences in the ring.

An aggressive style was adopted against Wilder for a reason but he was caught by a punch the American had been fine-tuning for Fury for years.

Helenius will bring a different style into Saturday’s fight and admitted victory against the odds would propel him into Finnish folklore akin to the notorious exploits of world-record javelin holder Seppo Raty.

“I think I would probably be elected for president,” he joked.

“I haven’t been in the ring for a while with him but now is the best time to win.

“Nobody will remember a coward.”

Veterans Derek Chisora and Robert Helenius have called for stronger bans for drug cheats ahead of their respective fights at London’s O2 Arena on Saturday.

Anthony Joshua will step into the ring with last-minute opponent Helenius after Dillian Whyte was pulled from the Matchroom show last weekend following a failed drugs test.

Whyte has vowed to prove his innocence but the “adverse analytical findings” detected in his test by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) almost saw the bumper card cancelled before Helenius was drafted in.

Helenius is not the oldest fighter on the card with British heavyweight Chisora set to turn 40 in December.

Chisora, who lost a contentious split decision to Helenius in 2011, will take on Australian Demsey McKean this weekend but waded into the doping debate during Wednesday’s press conference.

“Boxing is already a hard, hard sport without people taking drugs,” Chisora stated.

“I think they should put a new rule in now. If you get caught, this is for the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC), it’s going to have to be a 10-year ban straight away.”

Meanwhile, Helenius insisted a laidback approach is taken in certain countries to doping in the sport.

Whyte previously served a two-year doping ban in 2012 and several other high-profile boxers in Tyson Fury, Jarrell Miller, Alexander Povetkin and Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvaraz have served suspensions for failed tests.

British duo Amir Khan and Conor Benn have also been given doping bans during the past year, although Benn’s suspension was lifted last month, subject to an appeal from UK Anti-Doping.

Helenius added: “Of course it’s a problem because I don’t think everybody is on the same level. Some have privileges that others don’t have.

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“It’s a very difficult topic and I think anti-doping should be the same in every country. For example in your country, when Dillian gets caught, everybody just thinks ‘oh it’s boxing’ and nobody cares.

“In Finland, if I would be caught, I would be lynched for my whole life. Two-year minimum (ban), nothing. I would never get a licence again.

“I know (of) Povetkin, Fury, Canelo. If I would do that, I would never be able to box in Finland anymore.”

After Helenius stepped in to face Joshua at the last minute, he has been warned the former two-time world heavyweight champion is getting better and better.

That’s according to Joshua’s highly-respected trainer Derrick James, who saw his new boxer begin their partnership with a laboured display in a unanimous points decision victory over Jermaine Franklin in April.

James said: “He has bought into the process and is constantly getting better and better and better. Helenius is now here and it is time for us to implement everything we’ve been working.

“Finding it out (about Whyte), you realise you have to move forward.

“It was then all about Robert Helenius, who is a pretty good fighter but you’ll see everything that AJ has been working on throughout camp implemented into this fight.

“The only thing different was the fact we have to change the trajectory of the punching. From shorter and lower, so now it is a little higher because I think Helenius is 6ft 9in or 6ft 8in, but it is good.

“It will be good and will show his ability to transition from fighting one guy to a week later fighting another guy.”

Robert Helenius has stepped in at the last minute to ensure Anthony Joshua will fight at London’s O2 Arena on Saturday.

Helenius answered an SOS call from Matchroom after Joshua’s original opponent Dillian Whyte failed a doping test.

While Whyte has vowed to clear his name and prove his innocence, all eyes are now on Helenius and here, the PA news agency takes a look at the backstory of the 39-year-old, who was once tipped to be the next big contender in the sport.

Who is Robert Helenius?

Born in Stockholm in 1984, the heavyweight holds dual-nationality with Sweden and Finland and forged an impressive amateur career, winning a silver medal at the 2006 European Championships. He turned professional two years later and quickly set about building on his growing reputation with Welsh boxer Scott Gammer stopped before former world heavyweight champions Lamon Brewster, Samuel Peter and Siarhei Liakhovich were defeated.

How does he fare versus Brits?

Helenius’ wins over Brewster, Peter and Liakhovich set up an eagerly-anticipated bout with Derek Chisora for the vacant European Championship title at the end of 2011 in Finland. A dominant display from Chisora followed with more punches thrown, but in highly-contentious fashion, it was Helenius who won by a split decision verdict. It was later revealed Helenius suffered a minor fracture to his right arm in the first round but it failed to keep critics at bay with ex-boxing trainer Freddie Roach at the time laughing off claims he could take on Wladimir or Vitali Klitschko.

No stranger to a last-minute call?

While Helenius’ victory over Chisora extended his unbeaten record to 17 fights, he spent 11 months out of the ring while he recovered from an arm injury and soon after endured two years of inactivity due to a contract dispute with his former promoters. A first loss to Johann Duhaupas further stalled his development before he accepted a fight with Whyte at 12-days notice in 2017. Helenius was able to go the distance with the British boxer on the undercard of Joshua’s fight with Carlos Takam in Cardiff, but lost on points.

Can he pull off a huge shock?

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Stockholm-born Helenius was able to rebuild his career after defeat to Whyte with two victories over Yury Bykhautsou before Gerald Washington inflicted a third loss. He fought on the undercard of Deontay Wilder’s second bout with Tyson Fury at the T-Mobile Arena in 2021 and stepped in the ring himself with Wilder last October. It was Wilder’s comeback bout and did not last three minutes with the American handed a vicious first-round knock-out. Helenius bounced back with victory over Mika Mielonen in a Finland Castle last weekend but there appears a slim chance he can upset Joshua. Although, remember Andy Ruiz Jr?

Anthony Joshua will fight Robert Helenius at London’s O2 Arena on Saturday night after the Finnish boxer was confirmed as Dillian Whyte’s replacement.

Joshua was set to face fellow British heavyweight Whyte, but the bout had to be cancelled last weekend after “adverse analytical findings” were detected in a doping test conducted by Whyte, who has vowed to clear his name.

It left Matchroom in a race against time to find a new opponent but, 72 hours after Whyte’s failed test was made public, 39-year-old Helenius has answered the SOS from the promotion company despite having fought in Finland last weekend.

Former two-time world heavyweight champion Joshua said: “This wasn’t in the script.

“I respect Helenius and, may I say, I respect any male or female who steps into the ring.

“I am laser-focused on the win. I can make steps forward to bigger and better things but the road map has a check point – Saturday night. May the best man win.”

Helenius said: “I am excited about fighting Anthony Joshua on August 12.

“I am a true Viking that is willing to face any challenge at a moment’s notice. This is not an opportunity I was going to let slip away. I plan to make the most of it!”