Jermell Charlo has heaped praise on Anthony Joshua after he landed his first knockout in three years against Robert Helenius last weekend at the O2 Arena.
The undisputed super-welterweight champion trains with Joshua at the World Class Boxing Gym under Derrick James in Dallas, Texas and was happy to see his teammate land a big knockout against a late notice replacement. But he warned the Brit not to allow comparisons between his and Deontay Wilder's respective finishes to get to his head as they gear up for a clash next year.
Joshua and Wilder both viciously stopped Helenius, but the American got it done within a round while his British counterpart laboured through six difficult rounds before landing the finish in the seventh. Now, they will square off in Saudi Arabia, with the bout expected in January.
"I don't want to speak too much on that but AJ did a great job," he told Mirror Fighting at the New York launch of his September 30 fight with Canelo Alvarez. "He won the fight, of course it wasn't as fast as Wilder which everybody is comparing themselves too, but he did what he had to do. He won, that's a good thing."
Joshua was due to face Dillian Whyte in his second tune-up fight under James as he looked to move back towards world level ahead of the Wilder showdown. But his rival tested positive for banned substances and was removed from the card at late notice, meaning Helenius had to step in just hours after fighting in Finland.
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Anthony Joshua viciously knocked out Robert Helenius in the seventh round of their fightWhat did you make of Anthony Joshua's win over Robert Helenius? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
The pair's mutual trainer James has his work cut out for him in the coming months, with Charlo aiming to become a rare two-weight undisputed champion when he jumps up two weights to face Alvarez in Las Vegas. Then he will set his sights on his other fighters before a January bout between Joshua and Wilder.
“Me and my brother Jermall have been putting on for boxing and it’s our time now," Charlo said of the Canelo fight. "A lot of people are worried about the wrong things. When you want to win something this big, you have to risk it all. I just want to quiet my haters and doubters and turn non-believers into believers.
"I’ve watched a lot of great people in the sport of boxing and now I think this is the best moment for me to leave my mark. With two great fighters in there, you get nothing but fireworks. When this fight presented itself, it was a no-brainer to make this happen."
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