ANTHONY JOSHUA vs Robert Helenius almost collapsed at very late notice when a glove dispute erupted.
The fight WILL go ahead on Saturday night, but there has been untold drama behind the scenes.
TalkSPORT reported that Robert Helenius and his team attended the gloves selection after Friday’s weigh-in.
This is usually a routine inspection where each camp gets to confirm that there is no corruption going on with their opposition’s gloves.
However, Helenius’ team – who stepped in for Dillion Whyte just last week- were left fuming with what they uncovered.
The 39-year-old’s camp complained about what they viewed as a limited amount of padding on AJ’s gloves compared to their own.
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However, the British Boxing Board of Control official in the room confirmed that they were approved for use in the UK.
Helenius himself could be heard exploding over the issue.
The Swedish born boxer blasted profanities: “This is f***ing ridiculous”.
“That’s f***ing bulls***, disgusting bulls****.
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“Put the same gloves on my hands, f***ing bulls***. I need exactly the same gloves.
“They are not the same gloves. Everybody knows here what the f*** is going on.”
The Finn was given a choice from various brands but was not happy with Joshua’s pair, which was chosen from a collection of Leone gloves.
A tense argument then broke out between Helenius’ side and Eddie Hearn’s right-hand man Frank Smith.
Ultimately the fiasco was resolved and they shook hands at the end of the meeting on the guarantee that they would get the same gloves.
🥊 Anthony Joshua vs Robert Helenius: How to watch, UK start time, live stream details 🥊
Joshua returns to the ring for a thrilling encounter at the O2 Arena on just seven days notice.
Joshua was scheduled to rematch Dillian Whyte until his old rival was withdrawn amid a failed drug test.
The winner will likely face Deontay Wilder in a blockbuster bout in Saudi Arabia next year.
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
