Anthony Joshua vs. Oleksandr Usyk - 25 September 2021

[JamesPhilips]

Fair play to him

Yeah I agree - bold prediction though! He also hedges it with Usyk points

[Boxerbeetle]

I have a long track record of underrating Usyk (I even picked Gassiev to beat him, ffs) so you can probably discount my opinion. But regardless, I’m picking Joshua.

[Oiky]

Fair play to him

Yeah I agree - bold prediction though! He also hedges it with Usyk points

I think theres a big thing amongst boxing bods to "look as knowledgable as possible" ,like we know most people within the game are educated & spot the little nuances that the newcomer will not,but boxing unlike any sport seems to have folk clamouring to be right and accurate as possible,as if a wrong prediction,or a bout not going exactly as you said to the letter tarnishes your boxing knowledge & takes you miles down the pecking order some people are very good boxers,who know a lot about the sport and what to look at & look for,but dont follow pro boxing much & dont give much of a f**k about it ,i.e. gavs bro jamie mcdonnell

We all like to be right but f**k me its a fight at the end of the day,anything can happen

Dont know if thats just me seeing it that way but there you go

[kbackup408]

I can't see Usyk getting the decision but it would be sweet seeing another player in the HW division!

[JamesPhilips]

weisfeld is one of the best. i cant even recall how foster is as a judge....which leads me to suspect he's good enough not to have shockers (those are easy to remember)

I see tough former Journeymen Viktor Fesechko is a judge! Fought a lot of Brits

https://boxrec.com/en/proboxer/6872

[rd350lc]

Got to say Usyk is one of those annoying people in life .
He's got the lot and bloody brilliant at everything , funny as fvck constantly .
Bloody love the bloke but I can't see him winning Saturday night .
Joshua by stoppage for me.

[KiwiRider]

The closer we get to the fight, the more I think Usyk has more than just a small chance. He's a crafty devil and tough as they come.

i think he knows too much for Joshua and will be super confident,he's not just another ordinary challenger,he's a top fighter with pedigree,i'm ignoring his 2 heavyweight fights so far and think he's got plenty to show on Saturday night.

Southpaw
Odd style
Tremendous footwork (providing weird angles and movement)
Ring guile
Enough power to wear AJ out over a long fight.

And can I add : one of the best coaches in the biz?
Poppa Loma

[KiwiRider]

Fair play to him

Yeah I agree - bold prediction though! He also hedges it with Usyk points

I think theres a big thing amongst boxing bods to "look as knowledgable as possible" ,like we know most people within the game are educated & spot the little nuances that the newcomer will not,but boxing unlike any sport seems to have folk clamouring to be right and accurate as possible,as if a wrong prediction,or a bout not going exactly as you said to the letter tarnishes your boxing knowledge & takes you miles down the pecking order some people are very good boxers,who know a lot about the sport and what to look at & look for,but dont follow pro boxing much & dont give much of a f**k about it ,i.e. gavs bro jamie mcdonnell

We all like to be right but f**k me its a fight at the end of the day,anything can happen

Dont know if thats just me seeing it that way but there you go

That's what makes this fight to exciting. Either on points, maybe Uysk by KO because AJ has been before, and can AJ KO Uysk when no one else has?
Intriguing

[gregregegg]

i think he knows too much for Joshua and will be super confident,he's not just another ordinary challenger,he's a top fighter with pedigree,i'm ignoring his 2 heavyweight fights so far and think he's got plenty to show on Saturday night.

Southpaw
Odd style
Tremendous footwork (providing weird angles and movement)
Ring guile
Enough power to wear AJ out over a long fight.

And can I add : one of the best coaches in the biz?
Poppa Loma

Old man Loma currently has him sparring 7 guys at once while doing long division and juggling knives. Then afterwards they go out to the club and get in traditional ukrainian dance offs. He will be ready.

[KiwiRider]

Southpaw
Odd style
Tremendous footwork (providing weird angles and movement)
Ring guile
Enough power to wear AJ out over a long fight.

And can I add : one of the best coaches in the biz?
Poppa Loma

Old man Loma currently has him sparring 7 guys at once while doing long division and juggling knives. Then afterwards they go out to the club and get in traditional ukrainian dance offs. He will be ready.

Heck yeah
While Uysk doesn't quite have Loma's footwork, he is better on his feet than any other heavy I've seen right now.
I mean, when he got going against Bomber, it was a delight.
Poppa Loma should keep at it after his son retires and train from teenagers straight into the pros

[CaptainSpacerod]

I’m a Usyk fanboy - what a fighter, what a cool dude.

But I wonder if the extra weight he’s carrying and the fact he’s in his mid 30s now will impact his fluidity and movement and make him easier to catch ?

[gregregegg]

I’m a Usyk fanboy - what a fighter, what a cool dude.

But I wonder if the extra weight he’s carrying and the fact he’s in his mid 30s now will impact his fluidity and movement and make him easier to catch ?

I tend to think it will effect him . I’d back 2017 210-215 lb usyk to beat aj. Now I think aj is probably a slight favourite mabey. Unless usyk gets out there and looks smooth, then who knows.

[Frostieballs]

There has been a real shift towards Usyk this week amongst pundits - and on here.

Josh still a 4/11 favourite with Paddy Power though.

9/4 Usyk outright - 17/2 for the stoppage.

[oogiebe]

i think he knows too much for Joshua and will be super confident,he's not just another ordinary challenger,he's a top fighter with pedigree,i'm ignoring his 2 heavyweight fights so far and think he's got plenty to show on Saturday night.

Southpaw
Odd style
Tremendous footwork (providing weird angles and movement)
Ring guile
Enough power to wear AJ out over a long fight.

And can I add : one of the best coaches in the biz?
Poppa Loma

You may and a big miss on my list.

[Verdi]

Usyk needs the stoppage, else he'll be robbed on points. Even if he wins 9/10 rounds, he'll get a draw at best.

[tonyevs]

I’m a Usyk fanboy - what a fighter, what a cool dude.

But I wonder if the extra weight he’s carrying and the fact he’s in his mid 30s now will impact his fluidity and movement and make him easier to catch ?

It can be argued he doesn't need that fluidity and movement against a guy like Joshua.
Would be great if Usyk won - AJ and Fury are a bad advert for heavyweight boxing .. a bodybuilder and a flabby guy.

[Kilburn]

Yes, yes look at these comments coming through now.

You’re getting me into fight mode lads

[KiwiRider]

I’m a Usyk fanboy - what a fighter, what a cool dude.

But I wonder if the extra weight he’s carrying and the fact he’s in his mid 30s now will impact his fluidity and movement and make him easier to catch ?

Nope.
I'm sure Popa Loma would not let him carry an ounce of extra weight if it affects his movement. One of the quiet achiever coaches that I think is top 5. And he is all about the coordination and footwork.
Uysk looks like an absolute beast in the latest clips and I have full faith he can still dance around Robbie the Robot

[Counter-puncher]

so remind me is this on DAZN?

[Counter-puncher]

BTW I'll say for (hopefully) the last time my main problem with Usyk's style against someone like Joshua is that he guards up and gives that solid slightly motionless target when he's under pressure, he seems to absorb as many shots on his guard as he does slip them or otherwise evade them.

Or, at least, that's what I used to see him do at cruiserweight, I can see that backfiring against a big strong heavyweight, either wearing him down w/accumulation (and of course Usyk is offering his body whilst he is guarded up) or breaking his guard open to create openings to the head.

hopefully against Joshua he will look to slip as many as possible, make the big oaf miss punches and gas out.

[gregregegg]

so remind me is this on DAZN?

Think it should be DAZN everywhere (with dazn) except UK where its a sky PPV.

[Counter-puncher]

so remind me is this on DAZN?

Think it should be DAZN everywhere (with dazn) except UK where its a sky PPV.

[MightyWarrior]

Matt Christie of Boxing News puts his balls on the line and surprisingly goes for Usyk stoppage in 10!

Has Matt had a stroke?

Seriously, that’s a brave pick by the Ed, considering there’s a good chance his man is getting hit so hard his usual comedy schtick is now gonna include swivelling eyes and tweeting birds.

But at least he goes w a brave pick, usual Joe Schmoes in BN like Worsell and co fence sit or go big with the faves.

It’s free to air on Dutch channel RTL7. Anything to avoid Smith …

[ShadrachSimmo]

Matt Christie of Boxing News puts his balls on the line and surprisingly goes for Usyk stoppage in 10!

Has Matt had a stroke?

Seriously, that’s a brave pick by the Ed, considering there’s a good chance his man is getting hit so hard his usual comedy schtick is now gonna include swivelling eyes and tweeting birds.

But at least he goes w a brave pick, usual Joe Schmoes in BN like Worsell and co fence sit or go big with the faves.

It’s free to air on Dutch channel RTL7. Anything to avoid Smith …

How do we tune in to RTL7?

[TheDuck]

I'm currently the leading bidder on 2 AJ vs Usyk tickets at a work auction.

They are 2x premium tickets apparently. Anyone had premium tickets at the Tottenham stadium before? How much should I bid?