September 23, 2021
Boxing News

Joshua-Usyk Face Off

WBA/IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua looked quite a bit larger than challenger Oleksander Usyk when they faced off today at the final press conference ahead of their world heavyweight title clash Saturday night on DAZN from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.

Joshua Vs Usyk Press Conference
Photo: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing

Also toeing the line were WBO cruiserweight champion Lawrence Okolie and challenger Dilan Prasovic, who meet in the co-feature.

Joshua Vs Usyk Press Conference
Photo: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing
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  • upset brewing, if that is what you’d call it. Gassiev and Briedis good cruiserweights. Chisora a trial horse at heavyweight.

  • I can’t see how Usyk is going to stand up to Joshua over 12 rounds.

    Usyk might be doing fine during the first half, with his speed and ring-IQ, he might even be ahead on the scorecards after the first eight rounds or so, but then, sooner or later, Joshua will break Usyk down, if not earlier, with a punch finding its target to get the TKO or KO.

    • Lol you do realize Joshua got knocked out by the 6’0 morbidly obese Andy Ruiz right?

      • exactly, the guy whose character had him GAIN weight for the rematch…stupidest fighter of all time, zero discipline

      • It’s easy to make fun of Ruiz Jr when you see him. When I saw the first fight against Joshua, at least I was stunned by his aggressiveness and speed. Ruiz Jr. was knocked down in the third round as everyone remembers, and after that count, he immediately received a hard right from Joshua. He took it and fought back fearlessly. Ruiz Jr literally walked through Joshua’s guard and managed to target with hard and quick hands. The rest is history. I respect Ruiz Jr for that brave victory.

        Much of that I don´t see in Usyk eventhough he is one of my absolute favorite boxers.

        Usyk has only two KO victories against qualified opponents, in qruiserweight, Bellew and Huck.

        He simply does not have the knockout punch needed in heavy weight, and that fact alone allows Joshua to take some risks that I think will payoff.

    • @zockerbit So, like a poor man’s Joe Louis-Billy Conn maybe? I can see it unfolding that way. Usyk will make this a track meet, and will probably edge out several dull rounds. Will be interesting to see how he reacts if and when he gets nailed though. Leaning slightly towards AJ, but wouldn’t bet on this one…

    • Could happen, but Joshua could also quit like he did against Ruiz. It’s only hard to quit once then it gets easier. The only reason he got by Ruiz in number 2 is because Ruiz admittedly partied in excess, Joshua clenched Everytime Ruiz swang and connected. In shape Ruiz wins again, If Usyk fights the same at heavyweight against a Real heavyweight like Joshua, it’s over for Joshua. That’s just my opinion.

  • Anthony Joshua is amazing. You know because is around 6’5 1/2. In the history of the heavyweight division Joshua, Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury are the only heavyweights who have been 6’5 1/2 , 6’6 and 6’7. Every heavyweight in the 90’s for example were only 5’0

    • “Every heavyweight in the 90’s for example were only 5’0″ (I think you meant to say 6″0″).

      Checking BoxRec for some 90’s Heavyweights:
      – Riddick Bowe: 6’5″ tall
      – Lennox Lewis: 6’5″ tall
      – Andrew Golota: 6’4″ tall
      – Michael Grant: 6’7″ tall
      – Larry Donald: 6’3” tall

      That’s just a small sample…..
      Take care.
      – Gary G

    • Valuev 7′ – 7′ 1″
      Klitschko bros 6′ 7″
      Lots of Eastern Euro mid-six footers.
      Shave your hairy sack, Harry Sach.

  • Usyk is the better boxer when you look at the intangibles. However, size matters in this case and I am not sure Usyk is going to take a Joshua right hand especially over 12 rounds. This is not the cruiserweight division. Usyk is not a KO artist. He is a simply busy body that wears his opponents down. If Usyk can absorb some heavy blows on/off throughout the fight, then he may have a chance to gas out the sculpted half-tank “gas-out-easy” Joshua. Joshua on a TKO.

  • Remember Chris Byrd? Somehow he managed to get thru or at least hang with some pretty heavy hitters and Usyk is better than Byrd. I’m not saying Usyk wins but I wouldn’t be shocked to see him close on the scorecards and still answering the bell for the championship rounds. AJ will be cautious knowing what Ruiz was able to do to him in the first fight and that will give Usyk opportunities to win rounds.

    • With due respect, he has done nothing to prove he is a better heavyweight than Byrd or that he even has the same defensive IQ….time will tell, you can’t make comparisons based on what he did at cruiserweight with what Byrd did at heavyweight over a long career. I think his run at heavyweight will go like Haye’s, some high points then he will fall off, imo he won’t be a long time contender or champion level heavyweight.

        • Byrd was immobile and depended entirely on upper body movement. That’s why Wladimir and Ike found him so easily. Timing beats that. Byrd was never that great in footwork and moving around the ring. Good boxer though overall and he did beat Vitali fairly.

          Usyk actually has footwork. He’s nothing like Byrd and is actually better. In time that will be obvious.

          • Fair enough they are different but he is 34…how long is he going to have the legs to rely on footwork and mobility 2-3 years before he becomes very hittable without upper body movement and tactical clinching? Put Usyk in against the heavyweights Byrd faced and I’m not sure he comes out with a better record at HW is what I am saying. Ibeabuchi, Wlad 2x, Povetkin in his prime…Usyk isn’t winning those matches either and minus an injury he wouldn’t beat Vitali. Also depending on how he takes a punch from a HW puncher he could have lost to guys like Tua, Golata and McCline too, fighters who he has more skill than but power at heavyweight often overcomes
            skill.
            That a light punching Byrd only lost 4 times at the top levels of HW boxing is remarkable and I’m not inclined to believe if Usyk skipped cruiserweight and started at HW in his 20s that he would have had a better record or accomplished more than Byrd (winning 2 HW titles 4x defences).
            However the good thing is we get to see what he has vs. Joshua and either of us can be proven wrong about his capabilities at HW, and that’s not a bad thing to find out either way. This is definitely close fight on paper.

  • Joshua will struggle on this one but win by UD. Usyk is skilled and durable but lacks punching power to maintain AJ off of him..

  • This could go two ways. #1 Joshua overwhelms Usyk , traps him on the ropes and gets the KO within 5 rounds. #2 Usyk boxes well and makes Joshua pay when he misses with wild punches. Joshua then becomes tentative and Usyk starts to potshot him on the way to a unanimous decision.

  • I think the comments after the fight will be it was a boring fight, Joshua just plays it safe and boxes to a unan decision with people making a bunch of excuses about Usyk being small, not having enough heavy fights etc. Could see Usyk fighting at bridgerweight unless he can get some kind of money fight vs Wilder or get a fight vs Ortiz/Ruiz. I would like to see any one of those fights.

  • size has nothing to do with winning im not for any reason comparing usyk to….mike tyson who a good percentage all of his opponents were way bigger than him…even david tua another hard hitter and a brutal k/o artist was a lot smaller than his match ups to me non of the modern h/w are in the same league as the ali frasier foreman tyson that era has gone they were the true tough h/w who can deal with the new era of boxing champions ….usyk by decision

    • alan j lane: Usyk punches now where close to like Tyson did. Would not make that a comparison re size.

    • Indeed. Lennox Lewis said it best that anyone over 200lbs can knock you out if they get lucky. The difficulty for smaller men is always landing. Tyson had amazing footwork that’s how small men land on big men. Usyk would get a lot out of watching some old Tyson fights.

  • This will be interesting to see if Joshua changes his style forever and just becomes a keep away fighter using his reach to win or if he will still mix it up time to time. I think the former and this will be a dreadful 12 rounds

  • Usyk looks like an old Usyk to me. It it all just timing from the Joshua camp to fight an old Usyk?

  • uzyk will find a way. he is a chink on the armour finder, and anthony has chinks. his entire second fight with ruiz is exposure of character. Bock bock. Uzyk may make him quit .

  • If joshua can land his jab it could be a long night for Usyk but I think Usyk finds a way with speed and movement and a ko is not out of the question

  • Joshua too big of a favorite to bet on and not much value in the odds for Usyk-still think Joshua is the best of the current heavyweights. Like the odds of 10-1 for Prasovic over Okolie-probably won’t happen but those odds seem a bit high.

  • In 9. He moves, he hits and avoids punches. Usyk too clever. AN is now gun shy. That’s my thoughts.

    So I look forward to being wrong again!

  • Well all of yous that gave me a thumbs down in my comments thank you but I was correct on my thoughts for the fight usyk to clever and will be there in the top spot for a while he will beat fury that dope wilder as I said today’s boxers ain’t as good as the mike Tyson era and expect the same in Joshua re match

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