Oleksandr Usyk

Anthony Joshua vs Oleksandr Usyk preview: Can Usyk climb the mountain?

By furyjoshua.com

Boxing

Fri September 03, 2021 · 4y ago

Furyjoshua.com looks at Oleksandr Usyk’s chances of pulling off the upset against Anthony Joshua to become the undisputed champion at both cruiserweight and heavyweight.

On Saturday September 25 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, Anthony Joshua vs Oleksandr Usyk provides boxing’s biggest fight of 2021 so far. Man mountain AJ puts his IBF, WBA and WBO heavyweight titles on the line against brilliant former cruiserweight king Oleksandr Usyk.

It is a classic match-up between a devastating puncher and a brilliantly slick and talented boxer, and the current odds reflect that (Joshua is Sky Bet’s 4/11 favourite with Usyk available at 9/4).

Furyjoshua.com looks at Usyk’s chances of pulling off the upset and taking a further step towards his stated career goal - becoming undisputed champion at both cruiserweight and heavyweight.

It was the literary critic Andre Gide who once said: “Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore".

I am not sure how familiar Oleksandr Usyk is with the works of Gide, but the brilliant Ukrainian southpaw has shown he understands that we cannot expect to truly succeed in life or achieve greatness if we stay within our comfort zone.

In 2018 Usyk became just the fourth male boxer in history to simultaneously hold the WBA, WBC, IBF, and WBO titles - after Jermain Taylor, Bernard Hopkins and Terence Crawford - after dominating dangerous Russian Murat Gassiev for all the cruiserweight marbles in Moscow.

Usyk was absolutely peerless as a cruiserweight, and at the age of 31 could have hung around picking up paydays against a slew of underwhelming mandatories at 200 lbs. Instead, the 2012 Olympic gold medallist dared to be great. He dropped the belts and tried to scale a heavyweight mountain only the most macho and courageous cruisers have ever dared to visit, let alone conquer.

Between July 1986 and December 1987, Evander Holyfield collected every available belt at cruiserweight when the weight limit was 190 pounds. ‘The Real Deal’ then lit up the heavyweight division and by 1990 was the recognised king in the land of the giants after stopping James ‘Buster’ Douglas to annex the WBC, WBC and IBF heavyweight titles.

Holyfield and Usyk are almost identical in terms of height and reach. However, their fighting styles are polar opposites. Holyfield was an aggressive boxer-puncher who loved a war and was not averse to what former ref Mickey Vann might term ‘naughties with the head’ when the mood took him. In stark contrast Usyk is a beautiful, silky southpaw who boxes like a chess Grandmaster.

Speed, movement, ringcraft, agility and power - Usyk can do it all. However, he is going to need it all - and possibly a fair bit more - on September 25 when he locks horns with Joshua.

It is not the main course boxing aficionados wanted this year of course. Originally, the plan was for AJ to be defending those belts against the WBC and lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury. That mega fight was ultimately lost in the law courts (at least in the short term) and now instead both fighters have fascinating contests lined up in Usyk and Deontay Wilder respectively.

So far only Holyfield has been able to reign as undisputed cruiserweight champion and then make the journey to heavyweight and repeat the trick.

The fact that the WBC saw fit to create Bridgerweight - a new division between the 200 lbs cruiser limit and heavyweight - highlights how difficult it is to bridge that gap. Dreams can come true though if we have the courage to pursue them - and the brilliant Usyk is not without hope.

Here we break down what he needs to do, and avoid, if he is to usurp Joshua atop the heavyweight mountain.

How Usyk beats Joshua

“Heavyweights stay away, he takes a great shot and I don’t even know if I hurt him,” moaned Tony Bellew after being sensationally knocked out by Usyk in November 2018. Bellew was coming off two high-profile wins over David Haye, but after a bright start he was outclassed by Usyk, who is so skilful and subtle he is not properly appreciated.

A boxer as pure as Usyk, with the clever nuances and ability to control the distance of a fight like an eccentric conductor leading an opera, will always have a shout against anyone.

At 34, he is far from over the hill and a new challenge in the shape of Joshua should reinvigorate him and get his juices going. For so long he has been a cut above the opposition, but this is a real test and he is intelligent enough to know if he is not ‘on it’ from the first bell he could get seriously hurt.

He must keep Joshua on his toes, move him around the ring, close the distance and get off with sharp shots. He needs to do all of this while not letting AJ tie him up and sap his strength either.

He must also tread a very fine line, for while it would be folly to stand in the pocket with AJ and have a shootout, there is no way he is getting a decision in London against one of the most marketable fighters in world boxing by simply pot-shotting off the back foot. So getting on his bike for 36 minutes is not an option either. There must be times when he sets his feet, bites down hard on that gum shield and lets his power shots go.

Dereck Chisora - probably the most rugged and dangerous heavyweight gatekeeper in the world right now - wasn’t able to ‘rag-doll’ Usyk at any point in their fight in October 2020. When you dissect that performance, the Ukraine southpaw was excellent after a typically circumspect start. He put on a masterclass down the stretch against a physically fit and massively motivated ‘Del Boy’. Chisora had his moments early, but Usyk figured him out and was well on top during the second half of the fight.

At 6’ 3” Usyk is only three inches shorter than AJ, who lost his cloak of invincibility forever after that seismic shock against Andy Ruiz Jr at Madison Square Garden in 2019. Unlike Joshua, Usyk remains an unbeaten champion who probably feels he is invincible. It could come down to who can hold their nerve when they go into a shootout, and in his career to this point Usyk has shown he has ice in his veins.

Unlike Joshua, Usyk can also throw five and six-punch combinations, moving as he does so. His footwork is breathtakingly good and whatever the circumstances when he is toe-to-toe, he always has himself set in a position to attack. He doesn’t waste punches either, and has a rare ring intelligence only very special fighters are blessed with. Joshua’s movement is better than it once was, but Usyk clearly holds the edge in this department and that could be crucial on the night.

How Usyk loses to Joshua

You cannot ignore the risks attached to the jump in weight for Usyk. Boxing history is littered with star names who have looked unbeatable in a certain division, yet when they venture a few pounds north the wheels come off.

While Usyk defeated the bulky but limited Chazz Witherspoon on his heavyweight debut and the dangerous but ancient Chisora with relative ease, some in the trade - perhaps harshly - insist his performances in both bouts were average and have written the Ukrainian off as too small to defeat Joshua.

Modern-day heavyweights are massive, but in Joshua’s case he is fast and explosive to boot. Also as things stand, even though Chisora hit him with some decent punches we don’t truly know what will happen when Usyk is caught with an explosive shot on the point of the chin. Joshua is one of the most concussive punchers in the game and 22 stoppages from 24 wins (against that solitary Ruiz Jr defeat) backs that up.

Joshua will look to get physical on the inside, will work the body and has a good jab which he can employ to maximise his height and reach advantages.

Defensively Usyk’s movement is not as fluid as when he was a peak cruiserweight. Will he still be able to glide in and out against a fighter who is bull-strong and durable too? Will he be able to control the distance the way he did so easily with men weighing 200lbs or less? If he switches off for a second and is tagged clean, we know Joshua is lethal when it comes to closing the show against an opponent who is hurt.

AJ is taking the fight seriously, and knows his mind needs to be as well-honed as his body. The Londoner knows this is a battle of brain as well as brawn, saying to Sky Sports last month “I am sharpening the mind so that I can concentrate for the 12 rounds. It’s a fight for the brain. Knowing what you’ve got in front of you and knowing how to deal with it.”

Summing up Joshua vs Usyk

Whatever happens from this point on, Usyk has already enjoyed a fabulous career. Olympic gold medallist and the best cruiserweight of his era.

However, to join the fabled list of world champions who have won titles across the weight divisions, he must upset Joshua.

Given there are 17 weight classes in boxing now, winning world titles in different divisions is not the task it was for example 40 years ago. Some four-division champs in the modern era have achieved the feat by gaining just 10 lbs between weight classes while others - think Manny Pacquiao - have had to bulk up by at least 40 or more.

Only one man in Holyfield has so far conquered at cruiser and heavyweight, so if Usyk can do it his achievements will be right up there and he would then join the fistic pantheon with men such as Henry Armstrong, the two ‘Sugar Rays’ (Robinson and Leonard), Roberto Duran, Floyd Mayweather Jr and Pacquiao.

However it plays out, September 25 should be special. It is the type of fight which appeals to hard-core boxing fans and casuals alike. The type of big fight the sport needs. Usyk has that X-Factor, he is the type of character who can put mustard on any PPV event and accelerate buys in his own right. He loves the limelight and nothing phases him.

Usyk is coming for something they say he cannot have. Yet his own ambition, drive and desire match his intelligence and this makes him a massively dangerous opponent for Joshua.

Does Usyk have the chin, ring smarts and minerals to keep the marauding Joshua at bay and become heavyweight champion?

Does Joshua have the pugilistic intellect to solve the Usyk puzzle?

We will find out soon enough.

Safer gambling

We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.

If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.

Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.

Like what you've read?