Anthony Joshua vs. Oleksandr Usyk - 25 September 2021

[Ruthless-RKO]

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.”

[Boxerbeetle]

Great fight, Joshua stands alone in the heavies as someone willing to take on the best opposition available

[oogiebe]

Great fight, Joshua stands alone in the heavies as someone willing to take on the best opposition available

Stop it.

[handsofstone]

Great fight, Joshua stands alone in the heavies as someone willing to take on the best opposition available

Stop it.

???

[oogiebe]

Great fight, Joshua stands alone in the heavies as someone willing to take on the best opposition available

Stop it.

???

Clearly Fury and Wilder facing each other are the top opponents faced. AJ has fought decent opponents, but the best. I'll acquiesce to 'best available' to some extent.

[margaret thatcher]

aj fought:

wlad
povetkin
parker
whyte
pulev
usyk upcoming
ruiz x 2
takam
martin
breazeale (after 2.5 years pro, not 11)
molina

clearly, by far, absolutely hands down, aj has the best consistent opposition in the division. or does he need to wait until 11 years pro to fight breazeale? breazeale is one of the top 3 guys wilder beat but he may not even be top 10 for aj soon

fury and wilder dont get any extra props from me for fighting a 3rd time instead of just a 2nd, and their records are both filled with utter crap other than a few fights. that's the thing, they steppedu p to each other, and another time or two, but let's have some consitancy!

[dookus]

aj fought:

wlad
povetkin
parker
whyte
pulev
usyk upcoming
ruiz x 2
takam
martin
breazeale (after 2.5 years pro, not 11)
molina

clearly, by far, absolutely hands down, aj has the best consistent opposition in the division. or does he need to wait until 11 years pro to fight breazeale? breazeale is one of the top 3 guys wilder beat but he may not even be top 10 for aj soon

fury and wilder dont get any extra props from me for fighting a 3rd time instead of just a 2nd, and their records are both filled with utter crap other than a few fights. that's the thing, they steppedu p to each other, and another time or two, but let's have some consitancy!

I am very much on the Fury side of the line in any match-up, but this is undeniable

[Twinkle Toes]

Joshua with Usyk on his slate is the clear number one.

[oogiebe]

aj fought:

wlad
povetkin
parker
whyte
pulev
usyk upcoming
ruiz x 2
takam
martin
breazeale (after 2.5 years pro, not 11)
molina

clearly, by far, absolutely hands down, aj has the best consistent opposition in the division. or does he need to wait until 11 years pro to fight breazeale? breazeale is one of the top 3 guys wilder beat but he may not even be top 10 for aj soon

fury and wilder dont get any extra props from me for fighting a 3rd time instead of just a 2nd, and their records are both filled with utter crap other than a few fights. that's the thing, they steppedu p to each other, and another time or two, but let's have some consitancy!

Yes. But Fury and Wilder each have faced a better opponent than the best AJ has. Thought i was clear on my answer.

[margaret thatcher]

actually i think it's quite disputable that fury and wilder facing each other are the top opponents faced, fury beat a long reigning wlad who i can defo see having beat wilder, same goes for the wlad aj beat

[oogiebe]

actually i think it's quite disputable that fury and wilder facing each other are the top opponents faced, fury beat a long reigning wlad who i can defo see having beat wilder, same goes for the wlad aj beat

I think Wlad was past it. But not defiinitely. You make a good point.

[JamesPhilips]

I think the fight is a bit early at Heavy for Usyk, and I think he won't be strong enough but at least we have a good fight. Haven't been many this past year.

Also whilst everyone else spells his first name Oleksandr, including boxrec, I noticed Usyk wears a T shirt with it spelled Aleksandr. I'm sure I saw a video saying everyone spelled his name wrong.

[digzee]

aj fought:

wlad
povetkin
parker
whyte
pulev
usyk upcoming
ruiz x 2
takam
martin
breazeale (after 2.5 years pro, not 11)
molina

clearly, by far, absolutely hands down, aj has the best consistent opposition in the division. or does he need to wait until 11 years pro to fight breazeale? breazeale is one of the top 3 guys wilder beat but he may not even be top 10 for aj soon

fury and wilder dont get any extra props from me for fighting a 3rd time instead of just a 2nd, and their records are both filled with utter crap other than a few fights. that's the thing, they steppedu p to each other, and another time or two, but let's have some consitancy!

Yes. But Fury and Wilder each have faced a better opponent than the best AJ has. Thought i was clear on my answer.

What makes Fury's win over Wilder better than AJ's win over Parker? At the time Parker was undefeated and beat a prime Takam and Ruiz, who has Wilder beat that clearly makes him a better win than Parker? Even Parkers win away from home against Hughie would be in Wilder's top 3 wins.

If you take away the WBC title and just look at the names on Wilder's record it's not that impressive. It's when people see that he made 10 or so defences of the title that they elevate him higher than he should be.

[digzee]

Has anyone ever beat 3 Olympic gold medallists before? If AJ adds Usyk to Wlad and Povetkin that'll be one hell of record. It's not unlikely he'll add Yoka to that list in the future if the Frenchman keeps winning.

[oogiebe]

aj fought:

wlad
povetkin
parker
whyte
pulev
usyk upcoming
ruiz x 2
takam
martin
breazeale (after 2.5 years pro, not 11)
molina

clearly, by far, absolutely hands down, aj has the best consistent opposition in the division. or does he need to wait until 11 years pro to fight breazeale? breazeale is one of the top 3 guys wilder beat but he may not even be top 10 for aj soon

fury and wilder dont get any extra props from me for fighting a 3rd time instead of just a 2nd, and their records are both filled with utter crap other than a few fights. that's the thing, they steppedu p to each other, and another time or two, but let's have some consitancy!

Yes. But Fury and Wilder each have faced a better opponent than the best AJ has. Thought i was clear on my answer.

What makes Fury's win over Wilder better than AJ's win over Parker? At the time Parker was undefeated and beat a prime Takam and Ruiz, who has Wilder beat that clearly makes him a better win than Parker? Even Parkers win away from home against Hughie would be in Wilder's top 3 wins.

If you take away the WBC title and just look at the names on Wilder's record it's not that impressive. It's when people see that he made 10 or so defences of the title that they elevate him higher than he should be.

Because Wilder is a better win for Fury than Parker was for AJ. I think Wilder still sparks Parker. No one says Wilder's record is impressive.

[digzee]

Yes. But Fury and Wilder each have faced a better opponent than the best AJ has. Thought i was clear on my answer.

What makes Fury's win over Wilder better than AJ's win over Parker? At the time Parker was undefeated and beat a prime Takam and Ruiz, who has Wilder beat that clearly makes him a better win than Parker? Even Parkers win away from home against Hughie would be in Wilder's top 3 wins.

If you take away the WBC title and just look at the names on Wilder's record it's not that impressive. It's when people see that he made 10 or so defences of the title that they elevate him higher than he should be.

Because Wilder is a better win for Fury than Parker was for AJ. I think Wilder still sparks Parker. No one says Wilder's record is impressive.

I asked why is Wilder a better win, what makes him clearly a better win?

[oogiebe]

What makes Fury's win over Wilder better than AJ's win over Parker? At the time Parker was undefeated and beat a prime Takam and Ruiz, who has Wilder beat that clearly makes him a better win than Parker? Even Parkers win away from home against Hughie would be in Wilder's top 3 wins.

If you take away the WBC title and just look at the names on Wilder's record it's not that impressive. It's when people see that he made 10 or so defences of the title that they elevate him higher than he should be.

Because Wilder is a better win for Fury than Parker was for AJ. I think Wilder still sparks Parker. No one says Wilder's record is impressive.

I asked why is Wilder a better win, what makes him clearly a better win?

Thought I was clear. Beating wilder is a better win than beating Parker because Wilder beats Parker. Please don't tell me that you strictly go by resume. That's not THE determining factor. Not even sure if Parker has a better resume than Wilder.

[jameswilson]

Has anyone ever beat 3 Olympic gold medallists before? If AJ adds Usyk to Wlad and Povetkin that'll be one hell of record. It's not unlikely he'll add Yoka to that list in the future if the Frenchman keeps winning.

Jeez there's a question. Can't imagine anyone has. Definitely not at heavyweight anyway. You then factor in that AJ is a gold medalist himself.

[oogiebe]

Has anyone ever beat 3 Olympic gold medallists before? If AJ adds Usyk to Wlad and Povetkin that'll be one hell of record. It's not unlikely he'll add Yoka to that list in the future if the Frenchman keeps winning.

Jeez there's a question. Can't imagine anyone has. Definitely not at heavyweight anyway. You then factor in that AJ is a gold medalist himself.

Closest I can think of Is Ali beating Frazier and Foreman for two as well.

[jameswilson]

Has anyone ever beat 3 Olympic gold medallists before? If AJ adds Usyk to Wlad and Povetkin that'll be one hell of record. It's not unlikely he'll add Yoka to that list in the future if the Frenchman keeps winning.

Jeez there's a question. Can't imagine anyone has. Definitely not at heavyweight anyway. You then factor in that AJ is a gold medalist himself.

Closest I can think of Is Ali beating Frazier and Foreman for two as well.

Easy to forget Leon Spinks was a gold medalist so Ali did it as well.

That was gold medalists spread over some 16 years of games.

[oogiebe]

Jeez there's a question. Can't imagine anyone has. Definitely not at heavyweight anyway. You then factor in that AJ is a gold medalist himself.

Closest I can think of Is Ali beating Frazier and Foreman for two as well.

Easy to forget Leon Spinks was a gold medalist so Ali did it as well.

That was gold medalists spread over some 16 years of games.

Jeez how did I forget that one! Good call.

[oogiebe]

Closest I can think of Is Ali beating Frazier and Foreman for two as well.

Easy to forget Leon Spinks was a gold medalist so Ali did it as well.

That was gold medalists spread over some 16 years of games.

Jeez how did I forget that one! Good call.

Mike Tyson did it too. Biggs; Tillman; Spinks.

[oogiebe]

Easy to forget Leon Spinks was a gold medalist so Ali did it as well.

That was gold medalists spread over some 16 years of games.

Jeez how did I forget that one! Good call.

Mike Tyson did it too. Biggs; Tillman; Spinks.

Ali beat patterson who also was a gold medalist. So not too unique. I'm sure there are more.

[margaret thatcher]

2 guys

[oogiebe]

2 guys

I stopped looking.