Ukraine says situation 'complicated' in east, Russia reports advancing
KYIV (Reuters) -Kyiv reported a "complicated" situation in fighting in eastern Ukraine on Tuesday, and Moscow said its troops had
2023-07-18 18:53
Haunted house hires IShowSpeed to scare people, Internet says 'Speed is the perfect performer'
During the scary cosplay, IShowSpeed pretended to be a barber and cut the hair of a visitor to the haunted house
2023-10-29 17:57
Pennsylvania using tons of recycled glass nuggets to rebuild collapsed Interstate 95
Pennsylvania's plan for rebuilding a collapsed section of Interstate 95 in Philadelphia involves tons of small glass nuggets, each one about an inch wide and light as Styrofoam
2023-06-15 01:59
‘We need to get it at the root’: Anthony Joshua and Robert Helenius on boxing’s doping ‘problem’
Robert Helenius puts it bluntly: “In Finland, if I would be caught, I would be lynched for my whole life.” The 39-year-old Finn is the biggest – perhaps only – beneficiary in this week’s saga, which has seen Dillian Whyte return an ‘adverse finding’ in a drug test, causing him to be pulled from his main event with Anthony Joshua. Helenius, on seven days’ notice, will now fight Joshua at London’s O2 Arena on Saturday, but he is still damning of a situation that has handed him one of the biggest bouts of his career. “Of course it’s a problem, because I don’t think everybody’s on the same level,” he tells reporters on Wednesday. “I think some boxers have some privileges that others don’t. I think anti-doping should be the same in every country. For example, in your country, when Dillian gets caught, nobody cares. I would get a two-year minimum [ban], or I would never get a licence again.” Prior to last week, Whyte had twice dealt with doping-related dramas. The Briton, 35, served a two-year ban from 2012 to 2014 and was cleared of wrongdoing in a separate episode in 2019. He will again be investigated following last week’s failed test, but no matter the outcome, eyebrows have been raised. Helenius also references Tyson Fury and Alexander Povetkin as high-profile heavyweights to have tested positive for a banned substance before returning to the sport, with both men boxing on the biggest stage thereafter. “How is this possible?” Helenius asks, incredulously. “Either they should legalise everything for everybody, or have the same standard for everybody. “Of course it feels like I’m at a disadvantage, because I don’t have that luxury of doing that stuff – because they come to my home to do my blood tests and everything, all the time. It’s not fair, but who said that life should be fair? “My doping is: I have a really high level of Viking blood in me!” Joshua remains calmer on the topic – stunningly so, given how this week has affected him, and considering that he was burnt by a short-notice fight with Andy Ruiz in June 2019, after his original opponent Jarrell Miller tested positive for multiple banned substances. “It happens in boxing,” Joshua says. “It’s not the first time it’s happened. [It’s happening more], so I wasn’t so surprised to be honest.” Joshua, 33, also plays down suggestions that he might be ‘disgusted’ with Whyte, or even just ‘angry’. Remarkably, the Briton is generous enough to give some fighters the benefit of the doubt. “I hope it’s a mistake [with Whyte], but that’s why I have to invest in these tests, etc, and now I ask the team: ‘Can they get Helenius tested as well?’ It’s important to make sure we’re on top of these things. I actually don’t know what Dillian was caught with, I don’t know what was in his system. “I don’t wish Dillian any bad. His reputation is tarnished, it’s not good for him. It’s not ‘disgusting’ [to me], but... Boxing’s not an institution where you join a club and everything’s presented to you. These guys go to local gyms, they’re probably around people who are doing dodgy stuff. I don’t know what it is, but you have to be very, very responsible. Boxing’s so tough; your body hurts, you’re tired, you’re trying to look for small advantages, and you’ve got some guy at the gym who’s always got energy, lifts more than you, trains harder than you, and he’s like: ‘This is what I take, take this.’ If you don’t do your research, it can lead to a positive drug test. “I’ve been drug tested since 2011, then I started [pushing for] drug testing for my opponents around 2017. Who knows [if Whyte was doping when Joshua faced him in 2015]? I won, that’s the main thing! They must be doing it without knowing, because I think the money is better than a ban. Why would you go through a whole training camp to dope at the end and get banned? I just think they’re not careful.” Joshua’s reaction is especially commendable when one considers that Whyte and Miller both accused “AJ” of doping, despite a lack of evidence. “You've got to question the person who’s accusing people, sometimes!” Joshua says. “It’s funny, those two actually popped dirty themselves. It’s probably because of my physique maybe, or my rise in boxing, it just didn’t make sense to them because they’re probably working hard. Sometimes it’s just natural – God gifted, and a lot of hard work as well.” Joshua, who claims it’s “not morally right” to fight someone who is using a banned substance, also expresses frustration at a lack of consistency – not in punishment, per Helenius’s point, but in testing. “I get drug tested all year round,” he says. “Every quarter I have to submit my whereabouts, where I’m gonna be for one hour in a day, so they can turn up randomly if they want. It’s been like that since 2011, I’ve just submitted it every day of my life. Why am I under that pressure but other boxers aren’t? Once you sign up to a promoter, they should all have that under their organisation.” Derek Chisora, a friend of Joshua’s, suggested at Wednesday’s press conference that Whyte might not be to blame but rather his team. Joshua’s response? “I can understand where Chisora is coming from, because I get a plate of food presented to me, I don’t cook. Who’s giving [Whyte] this stuff? But I know what I’m taking, whoever’s giving it to me. It should be easy enough to know... “If I was to get caught on drugs, I’d be like: ‘Ah, f***; it’s probably this, this, this or this. These are the four supplements I’m taking.’ He doesn’t know what he’s taken or where it’s come from, he’s shocked. I know who gave me these bottles of water when I came in, who gives me my food, my supplements. It’s easy to track what’s going on in your life.” Joshua again differs in opinion from Helenius, to a degree, as he says: “I don’t think we need longer bans, I think we need to get it at the root. It’s backwards, boxing. You’ve got someone that’s come out of the Olympics, with potential to be a champion, who’s training in someone’s backyard swimming pool! If that’s me, who’s got potential, then you’ve got a kid coming out of nowhere and training in his local gym... he can easily be led down the wrong path. “There’s no support, no guidance. That’s why I always say: There’s the fight in the ring and the fight outside the ring, which is even harder. You need to get your s*** right outside; Dillian didn’t have his s*** right outside, and he can’t get in the ring.” Read More It’s time to stop taking Anthony Joshua for granted Joshua vs Helenius live stream: How to watch fight online and on TV this weekend ‘He’ll finish you with a sledgehammer’: What it’s really like to get punched by Anthony Joshua Anthony Joshua reveals why he accepted short-notice fight with Robert Helenius Wozniacki returns to tennis and new Man Utd threads – Tuesday’s sporting social Who is fighting on the Joshua vs Helenius undercard this weekend?
2023-08-10 14:55
Exclusive: Rare access to Ukraine's sea drones, part of Ukraine's fightback in the Black Sea
At a secret makeshift military base a nondescript van and pickup truck tow two gray objects covered by tarpaulin mounted on trailers.
2023-07-30 12:17
Live updates | Day 2 of the Ryder Cup begins and Europe makes another fast start against the US
The Americans needed a fast start to Day 2 of the Ryder Cup after resuming with a five-point deficit to Europe
2023-09-30 15:20
NFL great Brady meets Birmingham football fans in pub
American football great Tom Brady surprised Birmingham City fans by greeting them at a pub outside...
2023-08-12 22:47
Kenyan Facebook moderators accuse Meta of not negotiating sincerely
The lawyer representing 184 former Facebook content moderators based in Kenya who have sued the site's parent company, Meta, over working conditions and pay has told the judge that Meta was not sincere in trying to reach an out-of-court settlement as agreed in the last court session
2023-10-16 22:29
Despite widespread protest, Reddit CEO says company is 'not negotiating' on 3rd-party app charges
Reddit is facing an ongoing blackout from some of its most active users after it revealed plans to charge some third-party apps for data access
2023-06-17 06:48
Help arrives to battle wildfire in Washington state near Columbia River Gorge
Authorities have more than doubled the number of people battling a wildfire that has burned structures and forced the evacuation of homes in southwestern Washington near the Columbia River Gorge
2023-07-06 02:50
Why a 2024 Trump-Biden rematch might be more of a referendum on Trump than Biden
Presidential reelection bids tend to revolve around the incumbent's performance in office. But a potential rematch between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump could upend that dynamic, polling suggests, with most voters saying their decisions would come down largely to their feelings about Trump.
2023-09-10 17:21
West Coast dockworkers, shippers reach tentative contract agreement
The union for thousands of West Coast dockworkers has reached a tentative agreement on a new contract after more than a year of negotiations and several work disruptions that snarled shipping traffic at some of the largest ports
2023-06-15 14:47
You Might Like...
US trade deficit widens slightly on rise in imports
Liverpool confident of completing Alexis Mac Allister transfer
Police stop Nebraska man for bucking the law with a bull riding shotgun in his car
Celebrity birthdays for the week of Aug. 13-19
Who is the mother of Bob Whitfield's 'secret child'? Sheree Whitfield shocked to hear about ex's daughter
Sinner handles the pressure at home in Turin with quick win over Tsitsipas at ATP Finals
Another LIV lawsuit claims logo infringement for Mickelson team
Chicago Pension Debt Rises to $35 Billion as Mayor Hunts for Fix