Comments Thread For: Team Usyk "Looking Forward To Signing Papers" For Showdown With Anthony Joshua

[Earl-Hickey]

This is a fight where Joshua has to impose his size on Usyk from the opening bell and just turn it into a brawl. Forget the boxing, don't try to be the second coming of klitschko just tear out the gates and put it on him. Usyk is slow to start and AJ needs to use his strengths. If he tries to have a jabbing contest from mid range hes an idiot.

[Earl-Hickey]

The thing is power is nothing if you cannot land it properly, Chisora for all his shortcoming pushes the fight to you. He keeps coming at you until he is tired, for me he has a better stamina than AJ. If Usyk pushes AJ for the first 7/8 rounds i can see AJ getting knackered and gassing out.

He should be able to land, yes Chisora comes trundling forward all night but he is slow, has a short reach and throws slow, wide, looping punches that have very little snap on them, albeit being weighty, meaty shots.

I've seen Usyk get hit flush by far slower and lesser punchers than AJ.

I do agree Usyk has several advantages in various areas and has a route to victory, this is a fight where AJ MUST use his physical advantages. He has to big man Usyk out of the fight, this is a former cruiserweight and even though he might have piled on some extra, useless weight, the reality is he's a 215lb guy.

Tactics are important, he has to not give Usyk space, use the old Wlad tactics of leaning and putting all his size on Usyk, he needs to be leaning on him on the ropes and just drown him. Usyk is 35 now, looks to have gained more weight (a mistake) and his own stamina isnt what it was a few years back, he was gulping down big breaths vs Chisora who himself was GASSED after 6 rounds. Trust me if AJ puts all his weight on him (which he can more effectively than Chisora due to extra height) Usyk will not be fresh as a daisy in the second half.

This fight will be won by the range, if its distance Usyk takes it, if its a close up affair AJ will.

[JakeTheBoxer]

Joshua`s condition is not great, Usyk can just make him gas out.

Joshua has too much useless muscles.

[Earl-Hickey]

Joshua`s condition is not great, Usyk can just make him gas out.

Joshua has too much useless muscles.

"Usyk can just make him gas out"

Oh its that easy, OK please tell me the tactics he's going to use to "just make him gas out" whilst staying defensively responsible and winning rounds.

Is he going to try and move around on the outside and make AJ miss? Because AJ is a lot longer than him and has the best long range jab he has faced. He's a lot quicker with the jab than Joe Joyce was 9 years ago.

Is he going to mix it at mid range? Because if he does that he will have to make sure he doesn't take one of the combinations Povetkin or Pulev did because if he does he will 100% be ko'd

Is he going to pressure AJ? That seems risky considering AJ is a lot bigger and has brutal counters.

I want to hear some sensible tactics because you just made this into an easy fight for Usyk.

[ShoulderRoll]

You and your dumb mentality about losing and gravy train, that's why some American boxers don't want to take a risk and take fights that might be competitive, He would get outbox against Usyk but would Usyk get the decision doe? Another thing that i don't like about Usyk is the weight that he is adding on, which might make him a bit slower, but as long as it isn't too much then i expect his timing to be there, his stamina to be better, like someone else pointed out AJ like to take breaks, if Usyk can push that then he would have a great chance at getting the W.

I'm just saying.

Joshua surely has to feel under pressure to get through this mandatory so he move on to the big unification fight.

[NC Uppercut]

Why do you say that? Who has he fought that is up there in terms of ability that Usyk displayed (at Cruiserweight)? In my opinion, both fighters are taking on something entirely new.

Usyk has never faced someone as big and powerful as AJ. Chazz and Del Boy haven't prepared Usyk for AJ.

Most of the smaller caliber fighters AJ has faced, he has had some adversity to overcome. Agreed that Witherspoon wasn’t much, and Usyk didn’t look good, but Chisora is a monster for his age, Usyk did what I expected there.
I have no dog in this fight!

[Ray*]

I'm just saying.

Joshua surely has to feel under pressure to get through this mandatory so he move on to the big unification fight.

Am just saying too. You always come across like a new age fan. Someone who doesn’t know the history of boxing… If fight A loses then it’s the end for him etc

Joshua has always been dealing with pressure from when he had to go to the Olympics, win 3 belts under 25 fights. I mean he wasn’t called a baby champion and place in a witness protection programme, he had to fight his mandatories (Whether they were crap mandatory or not is another thing).

So even if he is under pressure then he needs to deal with it. It’s all part and parcel of the game at this level.

[DaNeutral.]

Lmao! Face palm moment! How has he improved exactly? In which areas are you seeing these improvements? All I see is a mentally fragile fighter who doesn’t know wether to box and move or stand and trade. He’s literally fought a walking COVID patient who was 39-40 in pulev. I think casual fans are trying to take over this forum by spamming silly comments with no substance.

Pulev is just an old man yet Luis Ortiz is a quality opponent?

[_Rexy_]

Am just saying too. You always come across like a new age fan. Someone who doesn’t know the history of boxing… If fight A loses then it’s the end for him etc

Joshua has always been dealing with pressure from when he had to go to the Olympics, win 3 belts under 25 fights. I mean he wasn’t called a baby champion and place in a witness protection programme, he had to fight his mandatories (Whether they were crap mandatory or not is another thing).

So even if he is under pressure then he needs to deal with it. It’s all part and parcel of the game at this level.

He (more than) arguably lost two of those olympic matches...

[!-1]

There's no way AJ is losing on the scorecards, Eddie will make sure of that and AJ won't get close enough to KO AJ because Eddie will pay off the ref to prevent that. And if by some miracle Usyk KO's AJ and he doesn't make the 30 second count then there's the re-match clause in the contract,
Re-matchroom boxing.