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The massive Anthony Joshua (24-1, 22 KOs) vs. Oleksandr Usyk (18-0, 13 KOs) fight is finally here. Fans of elite boxing and combat sports will watch as two of the top boxers meet on a humongous stage that favors the United Kingdom local, Joshua, to put on a show against his toughest test in Usyk. There’s hope the outcome could reignite talks of a potential all-time super fight against either Deontay Wilder or Tyson Fury, which takes place in two weekends time. But before any of that speculation, let’s take an in-depth look at one of the biggest main events of the year.
FIRST FACE OFF 👀 #JoshuaUsyk
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) September 23, 2021
👑 IBF
👑 WBA Super
👑 WBO
👑 IBO
World Heavyweight Titles on the line Saturday!@anthonyjoshua 🔥 @usykaa pic.twitter.com/kn88gMLr0G
Physical Attributes and Skills
Anthony Joshua: 6-foot-6, 82-inch Wingspan, 240-pounds, Traditional Stance
World class jab, moves extremely well for a towering stature, rises to the occasion, undefeated in the United Kingdom.
Oleksandr Usyk: 6-foot-3, 78-inch Wingspan, 240-pounds, Southpaw Stance
Very fast feet and pivoting, extremely patient, unorthodox style, disciplined in high-stakes situations, undefeated record.
Technical Advantages and Disadvantages
-278 Joshua: For being such a big man, Anthony Joshua is so light on his feet. He moves like a fighter from a much lighter weight class and has elite boxing skills to match his chiseled physique. On paper, Joshua’s size is a very noticeable difference over Usyk. The 6-foot-6, 240-pound boxer will be the biggest opponent Usyk has faced. Though Joshua doesn’t generally wobble his opponents early in his fights, he is firm in establishing the center of the ring with his strong jab until he finds a home for his money-making right hand. Joshua also possesses an intangible that should never be overlooked. The UK native performs big in front of his home crowd, almost sucking the life out of the locals to propel himself past his opponents as he is undefeated in the United Kingdom. Many of these performances in the UK have come in front of crowds ranging from 50,000-80,000 people. It’s truly incredible how calm and patient he can remain while having the crowd sitting on pins and needles ready to erupt with every potential fight-ending blow. Aside from being the hometown hero, Joshua is often a clutch performer who has risen past adversity on multiple occasions. Against former boxing great Wladimir Klitschko, his toughest test to date, Joshua overcame adversity when he got knocked down and then came back with a beautiful sequence of strikes to end the fight and unify the heavyweight title. Another instance of Joshua’s uncanny ability to bounce back, was when he fought for the first time outside of the UK against late-notice opponent Andy Ruiz, who turned Joshua into a meme with one of the craziest upsets in boxing history. Joshua didn’t pout in defeat, he got back on his bike and put on a masterclass performance in the rematch and used that loss as a scar to remind himself not to overlook any opponent. Now there are only a few poignant disadvantages that Joshua should focus on: Usyk is faster, quicker to the spot, Usyk won his Gold medal in front of the UK audience in 2012, Usyk maintains composure throughout every round and above all, Usyk is a southpaw fighter. Joshua has only fought one other lefty (Charles Martin, TKO) in his professional career.
+210 Usyk: The talented Ukrainian boxer is fast on his feet and keeps an excellent pace throughout the fight. He is also a great dance partner. Usyk can either speed up his rhythm in chaotic exchanges or stay on the outside and remain patient while winning round after round. If his opponent tries to rush in, Usyk can rush out landing a parting jab. If his opponent is slow and methodical, Usyk can sit down on his punches to land big shots. He has a very high boxing IQ when it comes to adaptability and not getting drawn into a slugfest because of his opponent’s frustration with his evasiveness. He can avoid the big power shot because he never stays on the centerline. While dodging all this danger, he can land a shot of his own. Usyk will also be only the second southpaw Joshua has fought in his career. Usyk needs to use that to his advantage; creating traps and setting the pace early. What Usyk does not own and what is his biggest disadvantage is fight-ending power. Though he is nimble on his feet, that comes with the cost of losing some pop on his punches. Another trade off for that speed and evasiveness, is that Usyk is giving up a lot of size against Joshua. A few fights ago, Usyk floated around 200-pounds, and in his last bout against Derek Chisora, he sat around 220-pounds. When Usyk finally does sit down on his punches to land heavy blows, it’s just as his opponent’s are about to go timber. The Ukrainian gets most of his knockouts after an accumulation of sharp, constant jabs combined with his sweeping cross, and also because he overwhelms his opponent’s processor with constant movement. A huge difference in past opponents for Usyk, is that Joshua, at 6-foot-6 tall, is the biggest opponent Usyk has faced. And for Usyk to throw his punches at a more upward angle will lose even more steam on his shots, which may give Joshua confidence to walk through Usyk’s offense and land a fight-shifting punch.
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Best Career Performance
Joshua: Beside winning an Olympic Gold medal, Joshua has a huge win over Wladimir Klitschko, who at the time many considered untouchable. Though Tyson Fury unlocked the code for other heavyweights to beat Wladimir Klitschko, Joshua was the first fighter to finish Klitschko in over 13 years.
Usyk: Like Joshua, besides winning an Olympic Gold medal, Usyk’s biggest victory has to be the flawless performance against Tony Bellew in; ironically, the home country of Joshua to retain five boxing championship belts.
What happens after a win
Joshua: If Joshua puts on a big show, meaning he gets a highlight reel knockout, then we’re seriously talking about the winner of Fury/Wilder next as that would be the biggest heavyweight fight in boxing since Tyson/Holyfield. Also, throw in the fact that it’d be two UK fighters facing off for their mother country’s bragging rights
Usyk: The promoter of Joshua, Eddie Hearn, has confirmed there is a rematch clause in place if Usyk does the unthinkable and beats Joshua.
Who wins? Though Joshua has been chinny at times against Wladimir Klitschko, Ruiz and Povetkin, I don’t believe Usyk who’s new to the weight class, will be able to instill enough fear into Joshua with any of his punches. The best chance for Usyk is to be evasive, faster to space and be workmanlike with nonstop activity and movement. It’s an exhausting game plan for the Ukrainian but it could work. What is more likely is that Joshua will eventually find comfort with everything Usyk has to offer and will land a big shot or two to secure the win: -278.
How Do They Win? Believe it or not, even though Usyk is a much smaller fighter than Joshua, I think the Ukrainian fighter can make it to the final bell. I think he has enough punching skill, speed and unfamiliarity to what Joshua’s used to in terms of style to avoid being downloaded, tracked down and eventually finished. But with all that said, I got Joshua winning via unanimous decision: +300.
Does The Fight Go The Distance? Yes, Usyk has enough in the gas tank and enough speed to stay on the run and avoid a potential fight-ending punch by the powerful Joshua: +125.
More combat sports action on the way this weekend with UFC 266!
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