Opinions are divided, but the majority considers Usyk a favorite for a rematch with Joshua
On the night of August 20-21 in Jeddah, WBA/WBO/IBF/IBO heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk will have a rematch with British Anthony Joshua. According to most experts, the Ukrainian is the favorite of the confrontation.
Devin Haney, Undisputed Lightweight Champion of the World
“Usyk is a great boxer. Alexander showed it, he dominated in the first fight. Everything seems to be in order in Joshua’s head, he will come out with a different plan for the fight. But I see that Usyk will be too tough for him.
Gennady Golovkin, world middleweight champion
“Joshua should be a wild animal. Anthony doesn’t need to think about the beauty of boxing, he should be a beast. If Joshua changes dramatically, he can win. But perhaps we will see everything that Joshua showed in the first fight. Therefore, I think Usyk will win.”
Ryan Garcia, American lightweight
“Now I’ll bet on Joshua. DI think that he will make adjustments compared to the first fight, plus Robert Garcia will be in his corner, who should teach Anthony how to fight on the front foot. Usyk is a boxer who can break you, but not a very powerful heavyweight puncher.”
Saul Alvarez, ex-world champion in several categories
“Anthony Joshua wins.”
Terence Crawfort, undisputed world welterweight champion
“Tendril. I love Anthony Joshua but I don’t see what he can do differently from the first fight to surprise Usyk.”
Carl Froch, former super middleweight world champion
“Joshua will be tough because Usyk is better. He is a good boxer and more experienced, but Anthony has all the physique to win. In the last round of the first fight with Usyk, he was beaten. In addition, Alexander systematically outboxed Joshua throughout the fight and broke him. Don’t forget that this was only Usyk’s third heavyweight fight. When you’re in uncharted territory, you’re insecure. So he gained a lot of confidence in that fight.”
Deres Chisora, British heavyweight
“Joshua seems to be in great shape. He did a good job, trained well. We know that Alexander also trained very well, so now the main thing is who wants to win more. Joshua will win this fight by knockout. He will risk everything and stop Usyk around the sixth or seventh round.”
Malik Scott, American coach
“I bet on Usyk again. It will be a much more impressive fight from Joshua, but I think it can work against Anthony. So I bet on a knockout from Usyk between the 9th and 11th rounds. Joshua will be very heavy on the front leg and I believe that with a fighter like Usyk who is good at fighting the big guys, it will work against Anthony. Boh it will be very competitive. Joshua will try to be more imposing, but that will work against him. I think Usyk will teach him a good lesson.”.
Deontay Wilder, former world heavyweight champion
“I bet on Usyk. I said this after their first fight. Now Usyk looks even more confident. When you look at Joshua, he seems like a different person. He looks broken.”
Denis Berinchyk, WBO international champion
“Usyk must make beautiful slippers. Not that Joshua got it, but he should be torn apart for the whole Nenko Ukraine. It is possible that Usyk is in his best shape. He has been in training for a very long time. I think when they wanted a rematch, he was in the subject from the first day. I am sure that he did not rest for a long time, he trained constantly, plowed.
Carlos Takam, Cameroonian heavyweight
“The first fight was close, but Usyk won. In a rematch, Anthony needs to change everything, use a different strategy. Usyk does not want to be easily caught in the ring. Joshua doesn’t have to run after Usyk. Yes, Alexander will move, but Anthony needs to take his time and calculate his strength in order to catch Usyk at the right moment and send him to the canvas.
Clarice Shields, undisputed middleweight champion of the world
“I believe Joshua can beat Usyk. The main thing is the plan for battle and strategy. You can’t enter the ring and try to outbox Usyk, because this is his game. He moves on his feet, he has a fast jab, corners and so on. We need to go out and remove it. You need to be aggressive against him, damage him, use trash. When you get inside a man’s head, making him fight instead of being calculated, it’s a different fight. That’s what Joshua needs to do – gesture with Usyk, knock him out of his space, piss him off, shock him. Come out and make the fight nasty. Just win. Don’t try to rejab, outbox him.”
Sourced from fightnews, FightHype, Boxingscene
Source: Sportarena
I’m Todderic Kirkman, a journalist and author for athletistic. I specialize in covering all news related to sports, ranging from basketball to football and everything in between. With over 10 years of experience in the industry, I have become an invaluable asset to my team. My ambition is to bring the most up-to-date information on sports topics around the world.
