Anthony Joshua vs. Oleksandr Usyk - September 25, 2021

[Ruthless-RKO]

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Anthony Joshua vs. Oleksandr Usyk Official, September 25 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Oleksandr Usyk says that he expects to be the only one standing at the end of his world heavyweight title fight against Anthony Joshua, which has finally been confirmed for September 25.

“The path will be mastered by the walking one,” said Usyk in the official announcement for the fight, clearly hinting that Joshua would not be walking at the end.

Joshua will put his WBA, IBO, WBO and IBF titles on the line against the Ukrainian, the WBO’s mandatory contender, who was undisputed world champion at cruiserweight, in a fight that will take place at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in North London.

“The date is set and we are fully locked in,” said Joshua. "September 25, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, I put it all on the line again and it’s time to defend my crown. We are two Olympic Gold medallists who have fought our way to the top and never avoided challenges.

“The stadium is exceptional, the atmosphere will be electric, I’m honoured to be the first person to fight in such an awe-inspiring venue. The stage is set and I am ready to handle business.”

Joshua was forced to turn to Usyk once plans for a fight with Tyson Fury for the undisputed world heavyweight title were scuppered. Originally it was pencilled in for August 14 - the same date that Joshua had expected to face Fury, before a United States judge ruled that Fury had to face Deontay Wilder instead – but Joshua decided to take two weeks off training to refocus on Usyk, so a later date was selected.

Usyk is no stranger to boxing in Britain. He beat Derek Chisora last year at Wembley, having previously knocked out Tony Bellew in Manchester in defence of his cruiserweight crown. As an amateur, he won a European gold medal in Liverpool in 2008, won Olympic gold in London at heavyweight in 2012 (the day before Joshua won super-heavyweight gold) and even beat Joe Joyce in a World Series of Boxing match at York Hall in 2013.

“Olympic Gold vs. Olympic Gold, Unified World Heavyweight Champion vs. Undisputed Cruiserweight World Champion this one has it all and I can’t wait to stage this huge event in front of over 60,000 at the stunning Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on September 25,” said Eddie Hearn, the promoter.

It will be the first time that the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which opened in 2019, has been used for boxing. It had due to be the venue for Joshua’s defence against Kubrat Pulev in the summer of 2020, but that was postponed due to the pandemic.

Tottenham’s previous stadium, White Hart Lane, which stood on virtually the same spot was often used for fights, most recently in 1991, with Chris Eubank’s tragic fight against Michael Watson. It was last used for a big heavyweight fight in 1987, when Frank Bruno beat Joe Bugner. But there were other big fights at Tottenham, such as the 1942 clash between Freddie Mills and Len Harvey, when Mills knocked Harvey through the ropes and straight down to the pitch below.

“This is a huge occasion for Tottenham Hotspur Stadium,” said Daniel Levy, the chairman of Tottenham Hotspur. “Anthony Joshua is an icon in the world of sport and to have him fight here in London N17, against a top opponent in Oleksandr Usyk, will be amazing for the area of Tottenham. This event will once again showcase the stadium’s ability to take the hosting of world-class sporting occasions to the next level – we cannot wait for September 25.”

The fight will be live on Sky Sports Box Office in the UK and Ireland, the final fight of their present deal with Joshua.

Adam Smith, the head of boxing development at Sky, said: “Anthony Joshua is back, live on Sky Sports Box Office, in an epic evening of world heavyweight title action on September 25. We’ve followed Anthony Joshua’s enthralling journey since the very start - and now Ukraine’s pound-for-pound star Oleksandr Usyk stands in the way of AJ’s ultimate ambition of becoming an undisputed world champion.

“The unbeaten Usyk is returning to the city where he struck gold at the same Olympic Games as AJ and we know him well from that dramatic win over Tony Bellew and a breathless battle with Derek Chisora. I couldn’t be more delighted after working for two years to secure a spectacular heavyweight showdown at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, a stunning backdrop for fight fans as Joshua vs. Usyk lights up London.”

[DrDuke]

If Usyk was to beat AJ it would be the first time a CW has done that since Holyfield did it...this fight is Taylor made for an easy win much like Klitschko's lopsided W against Povetkin

Haye was a champ both at CW and HW too, athlough not undisputed.

Actulally, if Joshua wins, it will look more like Klitschko-Haye, than Klitschko-Povetkin.

However, something tells me, Usyk will win, at least objectively, he can just be robbed.

[DrDuke]

If Usyk was to beat AJ it would be the first time a CW has done that since Holyfield did it...this fight is Taylor made for an easy win much like Klitschko's lopsided W against Povetkin

Haye was a champ both at CW and HW too, athlough not undisputed.

Actulally, if Joshua wins, it will look more like Klitschko-Haye, than Klitschko-Povetkin.

However, something tells me, Usyk will win, at least objectively, he can just be robbed.

David Haye was a HW level puncher though and Usyk seems to struggle even against the Chisora level gatekeepers in the current division.

Usyk comfortably outboxed Chisora. The close nature of the bout is ridiculous Matchroom's bias. Haye was a bigger puncher, but he had a far worse chin.

[gregregegg]

Eddie and Aj got bamboozled by Fury. I’m sure they were waiting to after July 24 to try skip usyk and go strait for fury. That got delayed and now they gotta fight… close fight, aj should do it, but if usyk I’d fit and mobile it’s tricky. Definatly one of AJs toughest tests on paper (and with the bookies)

[margaret thatcher]

usyk beat chizzy 9-3 ish, was in control after the first 2, aj will beat uzzy though

[H8Usernames]

This is a much better fight than the Fury AJ mismatch in many ways. Still it's far from being some brave heroic effort on AJ's part. But yeah Fury isn't the HW champion, he is the FreakWeight champion of the world. Boxing really isn't such a complicated sport so with a frame that offers you something like a 50 pound advantage over the next guy you should really be able to beat anything.

[lazboy]

I give AJ massive credit for taking this fight, regardless of how "small" Usyk is. Usyk is a potential banana skin. Who do I think will win? My gut is saying AJ; Usyk will come on too late and by that time it will be over (on the cards). I do think it will be great to watch though.

[Finkel]

After 2 years since Usyk stepped up. This has been a long time coming. Looking forward to it. Ultimately, may the best man win.

Also look forward to giving Joshua a lot of credit for a win over Usyk. But it will be even sweeter if they give Usyk a fair shake on the nationalities officiating the fight. None of this fight in America, with an American Ref and all American judges bullshart.

[Evander]

Mr Optimistic here ...
Hope it doesn't but I'm anticipating it will get cancelled like some of the others, I'm getting fed up with these on off fights.

[bobcatbox]

I think Usyk will go the distance with AJ, but I can’t see him winning it. AJ will fight a safe fight.

[The Asleep Lamps]

I chose that option as well. AJ is supposed to be the new Wlad so that it makes sense he will respond to being stopped by becoming more cautious. At least it is better than the guy who was chewing on his mouthpiece disinterestedly before the first fight.

[DrDuke]

David Haye was a HW level puncher though and Usyk seems to struggle even against the Chisora level gatekeepers in the current division.

Usyk comfortably outboxed Chisora. The close nature of the bout is ridiculous Matchroom's bias. Haye was a bigger puncher, but he had a far worse chin.

David Haye's chin is fine and Usyk barely squeeked by Chisora ever many well-respected pros agreed

https://www.badlefthook.com/2020/10/31/ ... -news-2020

You aren't sure about your opinion, so you post some other ones? However, there're some rational post, which call it 9-3.

Anyway, a suggestion, that Haye's chin was fine, is something completely over the top.

[Lenny Cravats]

I think Usyk will go the distance with AJ, but I can’t see him winning it. AJ will fight a safe fight.

Yeah. Usyk's chin seems pretty solid and he has the better fundamentals. Definitely a lack of power at HW, though. I think AJ may get in, land a few, and realise that Usyk won't budge and that he took more than he landed, leading to AJ using size and strength to do a jab and grab for 12 rounds.

[Bard of Boxrec]

AJ will win this comfortably, maybe by late stoppage. Usyk won’t be able to do anything to him.

[Enlightened-One]

Copy paste my thoughts from March:

Joshua just needs keep doing his own thing – fight his own fight.

Own the centre of the ring (staying away from the ropes), employ lateral movement to create openings, and keep Usyk at the end of his ramrod left jab.

And whenever Usyk tries to close the distance, the Brit just needs to throw a right hook or uppercut.

For a big man, AJ is really good at throwing short to mid-range punches.

So Joshua just needs to employ the same sort of tactics he used against Pulev.

Usyk’s lack of punching power (and relatively recent lack of efficiency) will be a cause of concern for the Ukraine, because even if he outboxes Joshua, the judges won’t reward him for his feather-fisted blows. Oleksandr needs to win each round decisively.

AJ is very heavy-handed and his blows are generally eye-catching, which means that he won't need to land as many punches as Usyk in order to to gain the nod on the judges scorecards.

Another Usyk flaw is that he often voluntarily loses rounds during his bouts (i.e. 5 to Breidis, 4 to Hunter, 4 to Bellew and 4 to Chisora). AJ only needs to do slightly better than those guys to earn a decision victory.

Two things that Usyk has going for him (in addition to his skills and pedigree), are his work-rate and excellent engine. He gets stronger as fights progress towards the later rounds, when his opponents are showing signs of fatigue.

Even dripping water wears away stone, which means the sheer volume of Oleksandr’s feathery light blows could eventually take their toll. And AJ has been known to run out of gas at times during some of his previous bouts. So that’s something to keep an eye out for.

Anyway, Oleksandr Usyk failed to impress when he fought Chazz Witherspoon.

And even though I thought he earned his victory over Dereck Chisora, my (one-sided) scorecards didn't reflect the narrative of the fight. Nearly every single round was really tough for Usyk… and he seemed to struggle during several stages of that incredibly competitive bout.

For me, whilst it's true that "styles makes fights", it's also impossible to fail to acknowledge the simple fact that AJ is on a completely different level than Dereck Chisora.

At this point in time, Usyk competing at heavyweight is much akin to “a fish out of water” – it’s not his natural habitat. He just seems significantly less effective against the big-men than he did during his time as a cruiserweight.

I just can’t see Usyk winning the fight. Joshua likely scores a 116-112 type decision victory, though I wouldn’t rule-out the possibility of a late KO either.

[Jeff_lacy_ko]

Its tough to land a jab on usyk and usyk is very accurate with power shots

He will give joshua fits

[apollo creed]

First I have to give big kudos to AJ for taking this fight. I think the power&size would play a major key in this fight but not so major as the will and the skills. Usyk is not a big puncher and pretty much I think Joshua would try to overpower him. A very important factor for Usyk is that he'll come very motivated and hungry in this fight knowing its a unique occasion for him to get AJ's belts and unify with Fury. Also Usyk is undefeated and AJ not.

If the judging would be fair I have Usyk winning by decision.

[Nightgaunt]

If AJ fights smart - but ugly - he'll try to sap some of Usyks energy out of him, tying him up, leaning on him, hoping that he'll fatigue, though that may be a gamble as he seems very well conditioned.
Other than that, I don't think Usyk packs enough of a punch to put AJ in trouble, AJ on the other hand has this sniping money punch that flattened Pulev that would be a real test for Usyks chin.
In general, skill wise I think Usyk is better than AJ, though not significant enough to deal with the advantage AJ holds over him in terms of size, weight and punching power.

I would put my money on AJ win by points or a late KO win, even if more from fatigue than from damage done by punches.

In any case, sounds like a good fight I'll be looking forward to watch.

[brilo33]

strange one in my head as i think aj just boxed 12 rds should win this but , there will be crowd here demanding he go to war which gives usyk a chance to land a shot which could be all he needs , usyk aint a heavy weight even now i doubt he could last 6 rds on the front foot, i see aj whereing him down maybe late stoppage, i say usyk has to go for it early first 3rds put it on aj unsettle him and try to land see what happens

[Thomastearns]

First I have to give big kudos to AJ for taking this fight. I think the power&size would play a major key in this fight but not so major as the will and the skills. Usyk is not a big puncher and pretty much I think Joshua would try to overpower him. A very important factor for Usyk is that he'll come very motivated and hungry in this fight knowing its a unique occasion for him to get AJ's belts and unify with Fury. Also Usyk is undefeated and AJ not.

If the judging would be fair I have Usyk winning by decision.

Yes this fight could be a nightmare for Joshua.

Maybe his best chance is to strike early as Usyk is usually a slow starter.

Whatever prep Usyk has planned there's no getting away from the fact that AJ will be the most skilled and powerful opponent he has faced.

There's also no getting away from the fact that Joshua is a true champion.

He honoured his fight against Ruiz (after Miller's protectors let him down) and now he's honouring what could be a very troublesome matchup against the best technical boxer in the division.

Good on Anthony, this is what real champions are supposed to do.

[apollo creed]

First I have to give big kudos to AJ for taking this fight. I think the power&size would play a major key in this fight but not so major as the will and the skills. Usyk is not a big puncher and pretty much I think Joshua would try to overpower him. A very important factor for Usyk is that he'll come very motivated and hungry in this fight knowing its a unique occasion for him to get AJ's belts and unify with Fury. Also Usyk is undefeated and AJ not.

If the judging would be fair I have Usyk winning by decision.

Yes this fight could be a nightmare for Joshua.

Maybe his best chance is to strike early as Usyk is usually a slow starter.

Whatever prep Usyk has planned there's no getting away from the fact that AJ will be the most skilled and powerful opponent he has faced.

There's also no getting away from the fact that Joshua is a true champion.

He honoured his fight against Ruiz (after Miller's protectors let him down) and now he's honouring what could be a very troublesome matchup against the best technical boxer in the division.

Good on Anthony, this is what real champions are supposed to do.

Yup, AJ is a true champion indeed. Nothing to take away from him. If Aj goes all guns blazing early in the fight and not being gun shy, he may have a good chance to T/KO Usyk but I think Usyk is gonna be very well prepared for everything. AJ is robotic and he's fighting upright and stiff. Usyk has a very good movement, fundamentals and angles.

Imo it's a very intriguing boxing match!

[Syntax Error]

I'm looking forward to this.

I have this nagging feeling that Usyk might prove to be a bit too awkward for Joshua.

I can envisage another Spinks V Holmes 1 type fight.

[Heretic]

I am really looking forward for this fight. I my opinion it is the second best fight that could be made in HW right now. (AJ vs Fury would be the best).

It is one of those career defining fights for AJ. If he wins it it will be one of the best wins in hes record. Up there in importance with Wlad and Ruiz 2.

In my eyes it is pretty even fight. 60% to 40% for AJ? Aj won't be able to win this one with the jab alone. Usyk is too good for that. So AJ needs to dig deep and make it scrappy mid range fest. The uppercut will be the key. If he can land that often enough I think he will win. There is a chance that Usyk takes him to too deep waters and drowns him. That stamina might run out for the big guy. Might be that Usyk knocks out totally exhausted AJ in the championship rounds.

Great fight incoming

(I just hope that corruption wont raise it's ugly head in this one )

[Post 4 Post]

Usyk hasn't worn the extra weight at Heavyweight too well. He has looked too small & uninspiring to beat AJ

[oogiebe]

Usyk hasn't worn the extra weight at Heavyweight too well. He has looked too small & uninspiring to beat AJ

The more I think about it, the more I agree.