Back with a vengeance – Oleksandr Usyk vs Anthony Joshua 2!

Oleksandr Usyk vs Anthony Joshua 2 – The Rematch

In every sense of the meaning, this is a true heavyweight clash. Saudi Arabia opens its doors on Saturday 20th August to The Rage on the Red Sea, in the coastal city of Jeddah, where this highly anticipated rematch will take place, and there is far more at stake than just World Heavyweight titles.

The rivalry all started last year, in September, in London when Ukrainian Usyk became the new IBF, IBO, WBO and WBA heavyweight champion following his victory against the Englishman Joshua. The first fight back then was always destined to be a fantastic bout between two legends of the game and that rang true given that the fight went all the way to the end of the 12th round. However, despite there being no knockout, the decision from the judges was unanimous: Usyk won.

So, in the 11 months that have since passed, how have these fighters prepared?

For Usyk, in the ring at least, very little has happened. In recent years he has limited himself to only one fight a year, and even more recently there have been other priorities for the Ukrainian: following the Russian invasion earlier this year, Usyk joined up with Ukrainian military forces to fight against the war. He would later return to his training camp, via permission from his country’s sports minister, in order to prepare for this rematch against Joshua.

For Joshua, having lost the match and indeed his world titles, he was extremely eager to activate the rematch clause in the contract, in an attempt to regain all his glory. It’s worth remembering that London-born Joshua was a slight favourite for the first match, and he made a few gambles during the fight which did not pay off. On this occasion, alongside intense preparation, he will not want to make the same mistakes again. It’s not just the original fight last September which haunts him, but also the doubts and criticisms that he received in the aftermath. With questions about his quality following the defeat to Usyk, Joshua will be desperate to silence all his critics.

What can we analyse ahead of Usyk vs Joshua 2?

The standout fact ahead of this fight is that Usyk still remains undefeated in his career. Nicknamed The Cat, he has fought 19 previous bouts and won all of them, defeating any challenge that stood in his way. Having since moved from cruiserweight to heavyweight, his two most recent fights have both ended in a unanimous decision victory. These wins came against two of Britain’s finest, Derek Chisora and indeed Anthony Joshua, and going the whole 12 rounds in both of these fights shows the intense competition that Usyk has faced, and yet he is still capable of dominating. It is likely we will see this rematch go all the way again, given Joshua’s desperation to claim his titles back.

Joshua, 3 years younger than Usyk, is both taller and has a greater reach than his Ukrainian opponent, but that wasn’t enough for him to win the original fight. AJ has not entered the ring since that defeat to Usyk but that has given him plenty of time to analyse where it has gone wrong for him in recent fights: having been unbeaten previously in 22 fights, Joshua’s only 2 career defeats have come in his most recent 4 bouts. One, obviously, against Usyk, but the other came in 2019 against Mexican Andy Ruiz Jr, the only time he has been TKO’d. However, what is important to remember is that, in the rematch between Ruiz Jr and Joshua, it was AJ that won. Can he do it again, in another rematch where he lost the original fight? The coincidences continue, because his victory against Ruiz Jr came in Saudi Arabia, where this second fight between Joshua and Usyk will also take place. With happy memories in Saudi Arabia, can he take revenge again?

It really will be an epic match, one where both opponents are confident in their own abilities and, tied with each fighters’ reputation in the game, it is extremely hard to pick a winner. Usyk has the history on his side, an unbeaten record along with victory in the first meeting, and he will battle on a personal level to bring light relief to the people of Ukraine. In the other corner, Joshua will be more than determined to earn back the titles that he lost on that day in September. The Englishman has a lot to prove, and there is nothing more he would like to do than end the questions and criticisms surrounding his name.

Be sure to watch it and bet wisely!