MAIN EVENT
UNDERCARD
TRAINER Derrick James cut a forlorn figure at Heathrow Airport on Tuesday afternoon when, days after his number one boxer, Errol Spence, lost for the first time against Terence Crawford, he could be seen waiting for his baggage at the reclaim carousel. Round and round it went, both the carousel and a cluttered mind, and James, while standing alone waiting for his bag, appeared understandably preoccupied. Perhaps, as he watched the suitcases come and go, he found himself thinking about the very concept of baggage and how, following what happened between Spence and Crawford in Las Vegas, he was now, by arriving in London to train Anthony Joshua, bringing some of his own with him. Or perhaps he was thinking how refreshing it would be to now focus on something else, another fighter, having been consumed by Spence vs. Crawford for so long.
Whichever of those was true, if James appeared forlorn that Tuesday, one can only imagine how he looked days later when, on the Saturday, it was announced Dillian Whyte, Joshua’s opponent, had once again posted an adverse analytical finding in a performance-enhancing drug test. Suddenly, all plans were once again out the window for the trainer, just as they were the second Crawford got a hold of Spence in round two. Suddenly, uncertainty was again James’ biggest enemy.
Indeed, it wasn’t until the following Tuesday , 32-4 (21), instead of Whyte on Saturday night (August 12). The contract for that fight was signed the night before, by all accounts, and Helenius, the chosen replacement, was deemed the best of what can only be described as a bad bunch. Included among this bunch were a host of other heavyweights who feature on the undercard, not one of whom, barring perhaps Filip Hrgovic, would be considered a worthy opponent for Joshua, even at short notice.
