After two mammoth events featuring some of the elite boxers in the world, last week the news came out that Dillian Whyte was not going to be allowed to go on with his rematch with Anthony Joshua after failing a VADA test in preparation for the big fight in London.
Once again these are issues within the sport that continue to hurt all of the athletes involved- so many casual fans must get put off by these stories and wonder about the state of the sport, while even those who have never failed a test will be tarnished by these reports.
There is no doubt that the failed test is a disappointment for Anthony Joshua, who had been preparing very hard for the rematch, and the fans who had bought tickets for the event (like me). Robert Helenius is going to be talked up by Eddie Hearn and Matchroom, but this is the same fighter they considered past it BEFORE he was Knocked Out in the First Round by Deontay Wilder having been critical of that fight.
Anthony Joshua needs to be active though and it is better to face somebody, rather than sitting out for a few more months hoping for the Deontay Wilder fight to materialise.
The biggest fight of the night will actually be taking place in the United States where Emanuel Navarrete takes on Oscar Valdez for the WBO World Super Featherweight Title. This was a fight that was due to take place earlier in the year, but they finally will meet in the ring and it is a fight that should produce fireworks and very quickly too.
Anthony Joshua vs Robert Helenius
The excitement of the rematch between Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte is no longer a factor, but it is only good news for Joshua to actually get another fight under Derrick James under his belt.
While there has been an opponent change, Robert Helenius is perhaps at a similar stage of his career as Whyte and this is someone who can help make Anthony Joshua look good after the criticisms of the performance in the win over Jermaine Franklin in April.
Yes, Helenius is a bit taller than Whyte and he is coming in off a victory last week, but this is someone who is very much on the downward slope in his career and who has struggled to deal with the big shots as well as he once would.
The Deontay Wilder wipeout will be very much on the mind's of most fans and that does put some pressure on Anthony Joshua, although this tall, European style has proven to be one that Joshua has enjoyed facing and produced some of his best performances.
Accusations of being 'gun shy' will be levelled at Joshua again if he is not more positive than he was in the win over Franklin, although I do think the latter has shown he has a decent chin, good movement and can dip much lower than Robert Helenius will be able to do.
Those big time Knock Out losses suffered by Robert Helenius are hard to shift from the mind and the fact he is someone who will take a risk to get forward can only work to Anthony Joshua's advantage.
If this fight moves into the second half, it will be a big surprise and Anthony Joshua can earn a first Knock Out win since December 2020.
Criticisms of Heavyweight fighters is not going to be unfamiliar to one of those on the undercard as Filip Hrgovic returns after a year out of the ring.
He has been waiting to see if his mandatory IBF World Title position would be called, but inactivity is disappointing as he takes on unbeaten Demsey McKean.
Filip Hrgovic is fortunate to still be an unbeaten fighter after his win over Zhilei Zhang last August, but he has admitted his camp had been anything but ideal ahead of that fight as he was hurt time and time again.
This time he is facing an opponent who is not nearly as experienced as Zhang and Filip Hrgovic's power should make a difference for him against the unbeaten Australian.
Demsey McKean has not been much more active than Hrgovic and has been taking on lower level opponents with this being a big step up compared to those previous opponents.
The expectation is that El Animal can just remind the fans of his abilities and wipe out the memory of his last performance. He hits hard and very early on and Filip Hrgovic should just show that he deserves to be the next big contender for the World Titles when the Undisputed fight is finally signed off.
There is also an ultimate crossroads fight for two veterans Derek Chisora and Gerald Washington who have lost more than they have won in recent fights.
Out of the two, Chisora looks to have a bit more left in the tank and has been a lot more active than the American who was rumoured to be stepping in for Dillian Whyte in the main event before Robert Helenius in the main event.
It might not be the most pleasant fight to watch, but it could end up developing into a shoot-out as energy dissipates for two big, older fighters with plenty of miles on the clock. The feeling is that Derek Chisora's ability to take a bit more of a punch and still chug forward may wear down Gerald Washington and see the British fighter force the Stoppage.
And in another Heavyweight clash on a big hitting night, Johnny Fisher is expected to get the better of Harry Armstrong for the Southern Area Title and it could be a relatively early night for the up and coming Romford Bull.
Over in the United States, the fight between Emanuel Navarrete and Oscar Valdez is finally going to take place for the WBO World Title in the Super Featherweight Division.
Shakur Stevenson has left the 130 pound Division behind, and the winner of this one could quickly be heading into Unification bouts in a decent weight class.
Picking a winner is not easy- Emanuel Navarrete has looked like he has the dimensions to be a strong fighter in the Division and his power has carried, while Oscar Valdez is plenty experienced at World class level. However, Valdez has not really looked the same at this weight class and this is where Navarrete looks to have an edge and he might be able to find a late Stoppage in a firefight.
MY PICKS: Anthony Joshua to Win Between 1-6 @ 1.83 Bet Victor (2 Units)
Filip Hrgovic to Win Between 1-6 @ 3.00 Bet365 (2 Units)
Derek Chisora to Win Between 6-10 @ 3.00 Sky Bet (1 Unit)
Johnny Fisher to Win Between 1-5 @ 2.00 Sky Bet (2 Units)
Emmanuel Navarrete to Win Between 7-12 @ 8.50 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Boxing Update: 36-64, - 18.02 Units (188 Units Staked, - 9.59% Yield)
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