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Swedish-born Finn, Robert Helenius, found himself in a tough position when he had to cancel his family vacation to step in and fight Anthony Joshua on just seven days notice. The father-of-three had to break the news to his children, aged 15, 13, and 10, that their holiday would have to wait.
Twist of Fate
Helenius was brought in as a replacement for Dillian Whyte, who failed a drug test, for Saturday night's fight against Joshua. The quick turnaround left Helenius with little time for preparation.
A Disappointing Change of Plans
Speaking to SunSport, Helenius shared his children's reaction to the last-minute fight: "They've been in this game a long time, the kids have been in this game since they were born. They don't know anything else. Of course, they were sad, they wanted their holiday now! But life happens."
From Career Highs to Retirement Considerations
Helenius had been enjoying a great run of success, with consecutive victories over American prospect Adam Kownacki. However, his winning streak was cut short when he faced Deontay Wilder last October and lost in just 40 seconds. Despite contemplating retirement at various points in his career, the unexpected opportunity to fight Joshua has given Helenius a new lease on his boxing dreams.
A Shot at Redemption
Helenius reflected on the significance of this fight, saying: "I don't know if this is the highest point in my career, it's up there. But this is up there of course. This is my opportunity to reclaim my dream."
A Life-Changing Moment
Helenius acknowledges the potential impact of upsetting Joshua and changing his life forever. He expressed his surprise at how quickly his circumstances changed, saying: "When you have a really long thought about how your life is going and then it completely changes, for the better. I wasn't thinking about this at all, I thought it would probably take up to two years to get back to this point. But, now I'm here."
Did you miss our previous article...
https://secondsaway.co.uk/boxing/gerald-washington-from-military-service-to-boxing
