Anthony Joshua finishes another slow burner performance with a highlight reel knockout of Robert Helenius

Former two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua stepped back into the ring to face off against replacement opponent Robert Helenius at The O2 arena in London. This was Joshua's second fight since his rematch loss to Oleksandr Usyk in August 2022, which saw him fail to regain his WBA, IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight titles.

The fight against Helenius, 39, was seen as another opportunity for Joshua to rebuild after two consecutive losses and get his career back on track. Joshua came out aggressively in the early rounds, using his jab and superior hand speed to control the pace against the Finnish boxer.

Although Joshaua's jab was both faster and more accurate than that of the Finnish fighter, Helenius showed why he was once dubbed "The future of heavyweight boxing" by using his height, smart jab, and control of distance to frustrate and keep Joshua at a safe distance for long periods.

In the 7th round, Joshua landed a thunderous right hand that dropped Helenius to the canvas. Helenius was out by the time he hit the canvas with no chance of recovering in time to beat the count.

It was an impressive showing from Joshua as he displayed the prolific power that made him a unified heavyweight champion.

The win marked Joshua's second success under new trainer Derrick James and a return to form after looking lackluster in his previous bout against Jermaine Franklin. At 33 years old, Joshua showed that he still has explosive punching ability and remains a threat to the top heavyweights in the world.

While this was a confidence-building win, Joshua will likely need something far exceeding this showing to if he is to be a winner against former WBC king Deontay Wilder in their proposed January 2024 meeting in Saudi Arabia.