David Haye, former world cruiserweight champion
Joshua: I’m going with Anthony Joshua again. I went with him a lot in the first fight, but he didn’t fight the way I thought he would. He used probably the worst tactic you could do against a southpaw. It gave him scope, he was respected inside, up close. There were no warnings from the referee to deduct points because it was never imposed. He has a good team that will tell him this is not a boxing match. This should be a dogfight from the first bell. He should be this close to getting a point taken away or disqualified, so he needs to be physical, because he is a specimen unlike any other in the heavyweight division. If he can prevail, Joshua can win.
Delicious Orie, Commonwealth Games heavyweight gold medalist
Joshua: For me, what I would advise him – and I’ve heard it repeated quite a bit on social media – is to dominate a bit more, use his feet and use his weight to put pressure on Usyk. Let’s hope AJ pulls it off and delivers, because we need those belts back in the UK.
Joe Joyce, contender for the world heavyweight title
Usyk: Usyk has already beaten Joshua and is confident of beating him the first time. So it’s up to Joshua now to step up his game and try to get those titles back. I still think Usyk has what it takes to get him going again. Joshua has a chance for a puncher, a heavy punch, but if he can’t land those big shots, then it’s Usyk again.
Amir Khan, former world lightweight champion
Joshua: We all want AJ to win the fight obviously, as a Brit, and I think he wins this fight. But it will be a difficult task. Then he goes on and maybe makes an undisputed clash with Tyson Fury, which will be a huge fight in the UK.
Joshua needs to rely on aggression and not boxing technique
By Gareth A Davies, Jeddah Conventional fighting wisdom dictates this: for Anthony Joshua to find redemption in the Red Sea, the Brit will need to impose himself early on Oleksandr Usyk. He is taller and heavier than the Ukrainian but, given their styles, it is unlikely Joshua will prevail on points. This is a massive fight, multi-hued and taking place under a hail of criticism as a £100m money grab, but victory for Joshua, now the underdog, would set up the biggest fight imaginable in the blue riband division of boxing: British blockbuster against Tyson Fury for the undisputed crown. There is no doubt that this is a career-defining contest for Joshua – a “woulda, shoulda, coulda” moment in his journey. Joshua, a physical behemoth, has a chance to dispel doubts about his elite-level mentality, hunger and ability. It also represents an opportunity to brush aside accusations that Joshua has become skittish since losing to Andy Ruiz in June 2019, when he was knocked down four times en route to a loss in New York. Joshua avenged that defeat in the Middle East six months later, boxing Ruiz behind the jab, earning points but still leaving doubts about his desire to engage in firepower exchanges. All those views must now be dispelled by the fighter, especially after his rude awakening at the hands of Usyk 11 months ago in London. It was a second career blemish, casting doubt on Joshua’s ability to change the pattern of the fight. For this reason, and the lack of instructional advice from the corner against Usyk, Joshua has left longtime trainer Rob McCracken and is working with Robert Garcia, the Mexican-American. Garcia reminded Joshua of the qualifications that earned him three of his four world title belts. On Saturday night, Joshua should expect to get his hands on his foe and do what comes naturally as an in-ring performer. Garcia told me this week that Team Joshua has full faith their man can win by stoppage. It’s unlikely, though, and so his strategy must be to impose on his foe and find momentum in the dance through trained pressure in the early rounds, closing the gap between them and hurting Usyk. Sports greats – including Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson – have stressed that Joshua needs to be clear in his mind about what type of fighter he is: an aggressive, heavy puncher, not a boxing stylist. He needs to use his jab to the body and head and unleash combos inside. However, if Joshua gets reckless, he will be exposed, giving Usyk more opportunities to counter from the southpaw stance.
Embracing his underdog
Joshua’s mindset is, without a doubt, the key. We’ll see if the big man truly believes in himself when the first bell rings. Can he embrace the battle, make it a war and leave the memories of his defeat to Usyk at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium a year ago in history? Joshua’s team have embraced the underdog and challenger mentality – despite pocketing a staggering £50million for his efforts. Eddie Hearn, Joshua’s promoter, told Telegraph Sport: “I want Anthony to feel that he is the away fighter, the B team, the one who is treated differently from the A side, the one who has nothing but has the opportunity to win everything . “He has to fight with intensity and all I hear from him in terms of the pressure on himself is ‘I absolutely have to win this fight’ and that will dictate the style in which he has to fight. You Fight Differently When We Have This Mindset. We need intensity, we need ferocity, we need a guy who wants to break ribs and break jaws, and I think that’s exactly where his head is.” Win or lose, Hearn sees no reason for Joshua to consider retirement. “AJ has a lot of places to go if he loses or draws. However, we are not looking at win, loss or draw. it’s win win win. He fought the worst fight he could have boxed in the first fight with Usyk, so he should draw strength from that.” In other words, Joshua should not be second-guessed. To be himself. Embrace the hurt business. This time it’s a different race. Oleksandr Usyk weighed half a pound heavier than the first fight at 221.5 pounds. Joshua tipped the scales 4.5kg heavier than their first meeting at 244.5lbs. After another face-off — in which Joshua asked Usyk “How’s your body?” — the game has started
My prediction
I’m not ruling out Joshua. My prediction is either that Joshua succeeds by applying his pressure-trained game plan in the early rounds and earns a stoppage in the first seven rounds, or that Usyk withstands the early pressure, counters and wins the fight on points or late stoppage between rounds 7 and 11, with the former champion running out of ideas as he tired. This will be a battle of will and skill. If the Brit can prevail, it would set up the greatest fight of all time, one with Fury that would create an undisputed champion for the first time since Lennox Lewis in 1999. And there isn’t a fan in this country who I don’t want to see “AJ” vs. “Gypsy King” in an all-zone blockbuster.
