The wait for Oleksandr Usyk v Anthony Joshua 2 ends on Saturday night in Saudi Arabia and it will be fascinating to see how the man from the Ukraine copes after switching roles from the hunter to the hunted.
Usyk defends his WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight belts against Joshua in Saudi Arabia this weekend, and is now the clear betting favourite to win their return due to the emphatic nature of that September victory.
Usyk outclassed Joshua, out-manoeuvred him, out-boxed him and sometimes even out-fought him. Let’s not forget he was close to getting the stoppage in that chaotic twelfth round too. According to CompuBox, Usyk connected more total punches than Joshua (148 to 123) and was more precise, landing 28% of punches thrown compared to Joshua's 19.2%.
🏆🇺🇦 Oleksandr Usyk v Anthony Joshua 🇬🇧
— Sporting Life 🎯🔴🎾⛳️🥊🏏🏉 🏈 (@SportingLifeFC) August 14, 2022
🤔 Who wins the rematch?pic.twitter.com/5g9iCJXQpZ
Usyk 19-0 (13) is a special, special talent. It’s his ring generalship that has brought him to the dance - first at cruiser and now at heavyweight - and kept him there. Going into that first fight plenty of pundits were of the opinion he would be too small for his 6’ 6” British rival. However, as the fight progressed it became evident that his movement and his jab were superior to Joshua’s, and he will likely have a similar game plan this time round. Usyk needs to use his superior boxing IQ and smooth footwork to maintain control of the fight from the centre of the ring. He must avoid strength-sapping clinches or being bullied to the ropes. In that first fight he dealt with Joshua’s athleticism and brain-scrambling power with clever movement and a fine jab from the southpaw stance.
A glance at social media will confirm that Usyk looks in superb physical condition for this return. He has bulked up and looks to have added muscle and definition to his frame. He was 221lbs for that first fight – the heaviest he has weighed in his career – and unless the camera is lying is likely to top that when they hit the scales on Friday.
However, he must be careful not to sacrifice that nonpareil movement, for brute strength. The weight gain could potentially slow him down and leave the door ajar for AJ catch him flush. AJ isn't known for having a high Ring IQ, but he’s explosive, athletic and incredibly strong.
Speed is sacrificed when weight increases and while he may feel he has the skills and now the strength to hurt and stop Joshua, it would be a risky strategy to simply sit in the pocket and bang away with a puncher of AJ’s quality.
Mentality will be key too. Usyk is one of the strongest fighters mentally in the sport, a cold-blooded assassin with mischief in his eyes. However, the war/political events in his homeland must have affected him during camp and emotion could cloud his judgement on the night too if he is not careful. He is a proud patriot, and the rematch will be free to watch for all Ukrainian citizens in his homeland. Usyk actually attempted to buy the rights for the fight in Ukraine himself so it could be aired for free, but Saudi Arabia stepped in and made the purchase themselves as a gesture to the fighter.
One of the biggest Usyk strengths is he can draw up a battle plan mid-fight. He has shown time and again he can make the mental adjustments when things are not going his way, something that was beyond AJ in that first encounter. If Plan A isn’t having the desired effect (incidentally it normally always does by the way), then he can quietly move to a nuanced Plan B, C or D.
We still don’t know how Usyk will cope when nailed with one of those trademark Joshua uppercuts, so the advice is avoid standing in front of his British foe and box to orders from the outside. For the purist Usyk in full flow is some watch. The 35-year-old can change angles subtly and without warning, and use his southpaw lead as both a decoy and weapon of mass destruction (just ask Tony Bellew).
Usyk became the first undisputed cruiserweight champion since Evander Holyfield a few years ago. If he can see off AJ again, and then topple ‘Gypsy King’ Tyson Fury to become undisputed heavyweight champion after that, we will be talking about a Hall-of-Fame career and ‘pound-for-pound’ legend. Everything is on the line for both men on Saturday, and when this happens in boxing, there is no sport that can compare.
CLICK HERE FOR HOW ANTHONY JOSHUA BEATS OLEKSANDR USYK
Oleksandr Usyk v Anthony Joshua 2: Who is favourite and what are the odds?
Oleksandr Usyk is odds-on favourite with Sky Bet to retain his belts but Anthony Joshua won't be short of support at 13/8.
- Usyk to win: 1/2
By decision: 13/8
By KO/TKO: 15/8 - Joshua to win: 7/4
By decision: 7/1
By KO/TKO: 9/4 - Draw: 20/1
Sky Bet have a full range of RequestABets and many other markets by clicking here.
Oleksandr Usyk v Anthony Joshua 2: Date, start time, TV channel and cost
The blockbuster rematch is taking place on Saturday, August 20 at at King Abdullah Sports City, also nicknamed The Shining Jewel, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The undercard is expected to begin from around 1800 BST, with the main event to start between 2230 BST and 2300 BST.
The fight will be shown on Sky Sports Box Office (Sky channel 491) and Sky Sports Box Office HD (Sky channel 492), with their broadcast starting from 1800 BST and will cost £26.95 for UK customers and €31.95 for Republic of Ireland customers.
You can also listen to the fight on talkSPORT.
Oleksandr Usyk v Anthony Joshua 2: Running order and undercard
- Oleksandr Usyk v Anthony Joshua (Approx 2230 BST)
WBA (Super), IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight titles - Callum Smith v Mathieu Bauderlique
Final eliminator for WBC light heavyweight title - Filip Hrgovic v Zhilei Zhang
Final eliminator for IBF heavyweight title - Badou Jack v Richard Rivera
- Ramla Ali v Crystal Garcia Nova
- Andrew Tabiti v Tyrone Spong
- Daniel Lapin v Jozef Jurko
- Ziyad Almaayouf v Jose Alatorre
- MoneyKicks v Paevie (from around 1800 BST)
