If there is one thing that almost anyone with an interest
in Boxing, the sport known as the sweet science can agree on, it is that one of
the things that make it so appealing is the element of the unknown. The element
that not only can a fight end at any given moment, but also the anticipation of
a fight where there is a legitimate sense of not knowing what the outcome is
likely to be amongst both fans and experts alike. One such meeting will take place on Saturday,
September 25th at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England where
two-time unified IBF/WBA/WBO/IBO Heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua will
make the second defense of his second reign as champion against undefeated
former Undisputed Cruiserweight world champion and current WBO number one
Heavyweight contender Oleksandr Usyk in a bout scheduled for twelve rounds that
can be seen globally on digital subscription-based sports streaming network DAZN and on Sky Sports Box Office
Pay-Per-View in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
The element of the unknown is something that the champion
Joshua knows well. After all, it was not long ago that he as a then unbeaten
world champion entered the legendary Madison Square Garden in New York City, NY
in his United States debut in June 2019
in defending his title against Andy Ruiz, a fight that Ruiz took on short
notice and ended up shocking many by getting up off the canvas to drop the
champion a total of three times before stopping him in the seventh round to
emerge as the new world champion. Although Joshua was able to produce a near
flawless Boxing performance in their immediate rematch in December of that year
to regain his unified crown, he did learn the lesson that indeed anything can
happen and sometimes it is the element of the unknown that can upset any
potential future plans.
Following a ninth round knockout in his first title
defense after regaining the championship against IBF number one contender
Kubrat Pulev in December of last year, Joshua now prepares to make a second
mandatory title defense. This time, in the form of former Undisputed
Cruiserweight world champion Oleksandr Usyk, who is the number one contender in
the World Boxing Organization (WBO) Heavyweight ratings. Before we go further,
it is appropriate to note that this fight came to fruition following the
collapse of a hoped-for Undisputed world championship bout between Joshua and
undefeated two-time Heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury, current holder of
the World Boxing Council (WBC) crown when Fury was ordered legally to defend
his title against former WBC world champion Deontay Wilder in a contractually
obligated third encounter between the two.
In some ways, this is a situation that is not unlike the
one that Joshua found himself in prior to his first encounter with Andy Ruiz in
the sense that there was a more lucrative fight in the future for him if he
were able to get by Ruiz as at the time, the anticipation for an encounter
between he and the then undefeated WBC world champion Wilder was extremely high
and one might argue was one of the best fights that could have been made in the
sport at that time. Of course, where the situation differs is that Ruiz had
stepped into a fight on short notice when Joshua’s original opponent Jarrell
Miller was suspended for testing positive for a banned substance as part of the
Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency’s (VADA) randomized testing protocols.
While there are some similarities in the sense that
Joshua could have a lucrative fight for the Undisputed World Heavyweight
championship in his near future and in fact believed a deal was in place with
Fury prior to the court ruling that led to the still upcoming Fury-Wilder III
bout, the unified world champion has had considerably more time to prepare for
Usyk than he did the first time he fought Ruiz.
As for Oleksandr Usyk, the former Undisputed
Cruiserweight world champion has remained unbeaten in two bouts since moving up
to the Heavyweight division. In those two outings, Usyk scored decision wins
over longtime contender Chazz Witherspoon and former world title challenger
Dereck Chisora in his last fight on Halloween night of last year. Despite being
undefeated in eighteen professional fights, Usyk does have questions
surrounding him in regard to not only his punching power, but also just how
successful he might be overall as a Heavyweight. Questions that are not all
that unlike those that have been asked of previous top Cruiserweight fighters
that have ventured into the Heavyweight division seeking lucrative paydays and
world championships.
Much like Joshua, Usyk is a former Olympic Gold medalist
having won Gold as a Heavyweight in the 2012 London Olympics. The same Olympics
that saw Joshua win Gold as a Super-Heavyweight. Though the distinction of the
two weight classes on the amateur level of the sport is one that this observer
has criticized as I feel it is not necessary, it does make one wonder why Usyk
would choose to begin his professional career as a Cruiserweight. In his two
Heavyweight bouts, Usyk was able to score those two wins over Witherspoon and
Chisora, but one could make the argument that he was not able to hurt either
fighter and in the case of Chisora, was given a much more difficult fight than
some had anticipated. There are also some who feel that Chisora, who was able
to put consistent pressure on Usyk throughout may have deserved the nod from
the three official judges in what was a unanimous decision for Usyk.
While I felt Usyk did enough to win that fight, it is
indisputable that it was not a dominant performance by the former Cruiserweight
world champion and it created more questions than answers regarding how Usyk
will fare at the elite level of the Heavyweight division. What he does have as
an asset is he is a southpaw going against an orthodox fighter in Joshua. It is
crucial however, that Usyk find a way to get the champion's respect early in
this fight. Although Joshua looked like
the “Knockout Artist” of old against Kubrat Pulev in his last fight, Usyk is
highly skilled and crafty. Despite Joshua’s reputation for often scoring quick
knockouts that he earned prior to his loss to Andy Ruiz in their first fight,
there might be some who still question whether he is fully recovered from that
loss even though he out boxed Ruiz convincingly in their rematch.
Although it may be logical to think that as the
theoretically bigger man of the two that Joshua will look to impose his will on
Usyk early, it will be interesting to see if he takes a more tactical approach.
Usyk is a very skilled counter puncher and even though his style differs from
that of Andy Ruiz, one should remember that Joshua was able to score a
knockdown of Ruiz in the third round of their first fight, but as he went in to
try to finish Ruiz after Ruiz had gotten up, he was overly aggressive and did
not anticipate Ruiz’ hand speed and ability to counter punch. This resulted in
Joshua getting caught and suffering his own knockdown in what ended up being
one of the best rounds of Heavyweight Boxing in recent memory. While one might
say that Ruiz has more punching power than Oleksandr Usyk, a skilled counter
puncher still has the ability to catch an opponent with something that the
opponent may not see coming if the counter attack is timed properly. So, even
though much of the focus here will be on whether Usyk will be able to deal with
someone of Joshua’s punching power, the possibility of Joshua getting caught
due to being overly aggressive certainly exists. Another aspect that one should keep in mind as this fight approaches is Usyk has the ability to outwork his opponents as a fight progresses and part of the challenge he will present to the champion if the Joshua is not able to hurt him early is whether or not Joshua will be able to maintain a consistent offensive rhythm for all twelve rounds.
With much of the focus over the next few days and weeks
within the sport not only focused on this fight, but also focused on the
scheduled third encounter between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder, which is
scheduled for October 9th in Las Vegas, NV, there is a lot at stake
for all four fighters as the five portions that make up the World Heavyweight
championship are up for grabs in these two fights. If Anthony Joshua is looking
beyond Oleksandr Usyk it could lead to disaster much in the same way it did
against Andy Ruiz, when Ruiz was thrust into challenging him and not given much
regard by some fans and experts. The difference here is, Oleksandr Usyk is not
stepping in on short notice, but if he can deal with the champion’s power, does
have the skillset to create problems for Joshua and if Joshua is not at his
best, the ingredients for an upset are here.
There is nothing quite like the anticipation of a World
Heavyweight championship fight as the questions and debates amongst fans and
experts often intensify in the lead up to the two fighters entering the ring to
do battle. While there is still time for such discussion, all that is left is
for Anothy Joshua to try and defend his crown against a highly skilled and
determined challenger looking to become a two-division world champion. We will
see what happens when Joshua and Usyk square off on Saturday night.
“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”
Joshua vs. Usyk takes place on Saturday, September 25th
at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England. The fight as well as it’s full
undercard can be seen globally on digital subscription sports streaming network
DAZN beginning at 1PM ET/ 10AM PT (U.S. Time) For more information about DAZN including schedules, list of compatible
streaming devices/platforms/Smart TVs, availability around the world, local
start times in your area, and to subscribe please visit: www.DAZN.com.
In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the card can be
seen on Sky Box Office Pay-Per-View for £24.95 beginning at 7PM (Local
UK Time) For more information about Sky
Box Office and to order please click the following link: www.sky.com/boxoffice/joshua-usyk.
*If there is any additional broadcast information, it
will be made available here on The Boxing Truth® on Friday, September 24th
when the official weigh-in report for this card is released.
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Denison All Rights Reserved.
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