Robert Helenius has hung up his gloves at 41 years old, following the conclusion of his two-year doping suspension.
The Finnish heavyweight tested positive for the banned substance clomifene after his seventh-round knockout loss to Anthony Joshua in August 2023.
Helenius was knocked out by Joshua in 2023 in what will be his final ever fightGettyHe became eligible to box again on September 18, but informed national newspaper Uusimaa that his career is over.
“The decision came over time,” said Helenius.
“I’ve noticed that I can no longer find the inspiration in myself to train hard twice a day.”
For now, Helenius is content with pursuing a career on the other side of the ropes as the head coach of the Nordic Nightmare Boxing Club in Porvoo, Finland.
However, he admits he could be tempted back into the ring for the right price.
“I’m never saying never,” added Helenius. “If a really good offer comes in for an interesting match, we’ll look at it from that perspective.”
What did Robert Helenius achieve during his career?
Helenius enjoyed a fruitful amateur career that included a silver medal at the European Championships and four Finnish national titles.
Upon turning over as a professional, he stopped ageing former world heavyweight champions Lamon Brewster, Samuel Peter, and Siarhei Liakhovich en route to securing a shot at the vacant European title against Derek Chisora in 2011.
Helenius would get his hand raised via split decision, but the result was controversial, with most believing Chisora deserved to get the nod.
‘The Nordic Nightmare’ would eventually taste the first defeat of his career in 2016 when he was flattened by Johann Duhaupas.
AFPHelenius’ most high-profile win came against Chisora in 2011[/caption] GettyHelenius also scored back-to-back victories over Kownacki in 2020 and 2021[/caption]Two more stoppage losses to Dillian Whyte and Gerald Washington over the preceding years saw Helenius’ stock fall.
However, he would revive his career with a pair of back-to-back upset wins over surging Polish heavyweight Adam Kownacki.
His triumphs over Kownacki led to a lucrative payday against Deontay Wilder, fresh off a third fight with Tyson Fury.
‘The Bronze Bomber’ went on to render Helenius unconscious with a short right hand in the opening stanza that still ranks among his most brutal KOs.
Helenius had contemplated retirement following the defeat, but decided to have one last roll of the dice against Joshua a year later.
The knockout loss to Joshua, which came courtesy of AJ’s trademark looping right, marked the final fight of his 32-5 career.
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