AJ will be watching next month, and he’s finally made his official pick for the superfight in the heavyweight division.
Former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua has finally made his official prediction for the Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk superfight taking place next month, and he’s gone with his former opponent Usyk to get the job done, as per Boxing Social.
When asked about the unification fight, which will take place on the 17th of February for all the heavyweight gold, AJ said: “I don’t know. “I’ve fought Usyk. I think he’s a phenomenal fighter and I think he has a great team around him.
“You’re only as good as your team, and he has a great team around him. After being in the ring with him and studying him, still studying him now, I think he’s the one to edge it. Probably because of his experiences, his ring generalship, and ring craft. I think he’s top-tier.”
Anthony Joshua & Tyson Fury don’t see eye-to-eye
It is not surprising that Anthony Joshua has come out and publicly backed the Ukrainian fighter, after supposedly being continually disrespected by Fury in the past.
“I don’t know, but I’m team Usyk anyway,” he confirmed. “[There’s] a respect, but Fury’s said a lot of bad things about me. I’m never going to ride with someone that disrespects me. That would make me a lunatic, and I’m pretty level-headed. So I’m going to go with the person who shows me respect.”
Despite tension between Fury and Joshua, they have never actually fought. Many boxing fans have called for a fight, proposing what would undoubtedly be the biggest fight in British boxing history, but for one reason or another, it’s a fight that has simply never been made. We came so, so close the other year, but Deontay Wilder had other plans, activating his right for a rematch against Fury, which all-but ended discussions of an all-British heavyweight superfight.
AJ knows what Usyk can bring to the ring
Joshua lost both fights to Usyk via the judges’ scorecards
Despite not sharing the ring with The Gypsy King, Joshua has got experience of fighting Uysk, on two separate occasions, to be exact. The former cruiserweight world champion is a seasoned winner, never tasting defeat in his professional career and defeating AJ both times they’ve faced off. The first fight was won via unanimous decision, and the rematch was then won via split decision, showcasing just how good the Ukrainian really is.
The much awaited fight will take place next month, on the 17th of February, at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudia Arabia, with fans, fighters, and experts alike all being split on their predictions of who will become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.
‘The Gypsy King’ has more experience than Usyk, despite only being one year older, and has won 13 more fights than his upcoming opponent, however, both boxers have never lost. The Brit, though, has drawn once to Wilder, with Usyk never having drawn and always leaving the ring victorious.
Usyk’s strengths lie in his technical brilliance, fast footwork, and creativity, and he often relies on accumulative damage over knockouts to defeat his opponents. Fury, on the other hand, has obvious height and reach advantages, and is somewhat an unpredictable fighter. He carefully studies and tailors his boxing style to each opponent, and has a diverse technical ability which could pose a problem for Usyk.
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