Anthony Joshua set to command a whopping $60m fight purse on 'redemption tour'

British Heavyweight boxing star Anthony Joshua continued his redemption tour on Saturday, beating Robert Helenius in London.

After a labored showing in the opening rounds of the fight, Joshua hit Helenius with a vicious right cross, knocking him out in the seventh round.

It's been nearly three years since Joshua had last won a fight by knockout, dismantling Kubrat Pulev in December 2020, with only 1000 people in attendance.

The 39-year-old Finnish boxer only took the fight up at the beginning of the week after only fighting a week earlier in a victory against Mika Mielonen.

The opportunity arose for Helenius because Dillian Whyte, Joshua's original opponent, had returned adverse findings from his drug test.

Whyte would have proved a stern test for Joshua and been the perfect opponent to step up his preparations to fight the best in his division.

Instead, Joshua fought another slow heavyweight as he beat Jermaine Franklin in a dull performance four months ago, winning only by points.

Joshua lost his belts to Oleksandr Usyk and failed to beat him in a rematch a year ago. Despite an easier start to life on his redemption tour, Joshua will breathe some confidence into his ability after winning by knockout.

His next opponent will be Deontay Wilder, the man who dropped Tyson Fury four times but failed to beat him in three fights.

Wilder displays the hardest knockout punch in all of boxing and will provide a much tougher test for Joshua compared to his previous two bouts.

According to telegraph.co.uk, Joshua is expected to make a career-high payday of $60 million in a fight that will take place at the beginning of 2024.

Like the majority of big fights now, the bout between the two superstar heavyweights will take place in Saudi Arabia.

The money could be significant for Joshua because if he loses, the end of his boxing career and challenge for world titles would be at an end.

Wilder and Joshua will go into the fight in near identical situations, defeating Helenius in their previous fights and coming off two losses to elite heavyweights.

The blockbuster clash will end badly for one of them, effectively ending their career, but for the other, it will spur them on to regain their heavyweight titles.

Joshua is slowly working his way back to the top of the division, but is defeating Wilder a step too far for the former world champion?