Oleksandr Usyk defends his (WBA, IBF, IBO & WBO) Heavyweight Titles against challenger and former champion Anthony Joshua on 20th August. With a chance to be undisputed champion also on the cards with the recently vacated The Ring Magazine heavyweight championship belt up for grabs.
The clash of these two titans comes a year after they met for the first time in September 2021 where Usyk shocked the world by defeating Anthony Joshua to become the new WBA, IBF & WBO heavyweight champion. Now Joshua will be looking to regain his spot at the top and prove to the world that he is still worth top spot. This with an added incentive for both fighters to become the new undisputed heavyweight champion.
It is worth noting that Oleksandr Usyk is undefeated in his professional boxing career boasting a record of 19 wins and no losses. Also recording 4 fights and 4 wins since he’s moved up to the heavyweight division. The Ukrainian was comfortable in the first bout vs Joshua, as he dominated the fight winning a majority 8 rounds out of the scheduled 12 on unofficial scorecards. The official judges’ scorecards at the end of the bout read: 117-112; 115-113; 116-112, all in favor of the eventual winner and new champion, Oleksandr Usyk.
AJ heads into this rematch having just recently suffered his 2nd professional defeat in his career, the first dating back to 2019 when he was surprisingly defeated by Andy Ruiz Jr. The British heavyweight is no stranger to bouncing back from a defeat after he came back to put up a dominant display over Ruiz Jr. in their rematch in 2019, winning via unanimous decision. He has also stated that he he treats this fight as a must win, and it is not just about the championship belts:
The champion, Oleksandr Usyk, finds himself as the favourite for the rematch having previously been an underdog in their first meeting. He can find solace in the fact that his Southpaw stance swiftly outmatched AJ’s Orthodox style, and with that technicality in his closet he cannot be blamed for being confident ahead of this rematch.
The Cat, Usyk, is currently an odds-favourite with a 1.44 on the mbet.co.za website, and the challenger finds himself with the betting odds irregularly against him sitting at 2.62.
The Tale of The Tape : Usyk vs Joshua
| Name | Oleksandr Usyk | Anthony Joshua |
| Age | 35 years old | 32 years old |
| Height | 6ft 3in (1,91m) | 6ft 6in (1,98m) |
| Reach | 78 inches (198cm) | 82 inches (208cm) |
| Weight | 100kg (220,46lbs) | 109kg (240,30lbs) |
| Nickname | The Cat | AJ |
| Record | 19-0 (Professional) | 24-2 (Professional) |
| Stance | Southpaw | Orthodox |
| Nationality | Ukrainian | British |
The fight is said to be free for viewership on Oleksandr Usyk’s official YouTube page.
In what is expected to be a very entertaining, very competitive close fight, many factors are to be considered when putting your money on either of these men. However, given his speed, his technicality and his fluid use of his Southpaw stance, I would pick Oleksandr Usyk to be victorious once again over Anthony Joshua.
