The fight between Anthony Joshua and Alexander Usyk can be safely considered one of the main events of 2021 in the world of boxing. While the oldest type of martial arts is increasingly associated with the fights of famous bloggers with veterans of MMA, the battle between the British and the Ukrainian has the opportunity to once again draw the attention of the general public to the performance of professionals. At stake will be four belts in the most prestigious category at once, and the winner is likely to have the opportunity to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion since the days of Lennox Lewis.
It is worth recalling that initially the unification battle in the heavy category was supposed to take place in 2021. For a long time, negotiations were conducted between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury, but when both sides reached a consensus, Deontay Wilder intervened in the matter. The American activated a clause in the contract giving him the right to have an immediate rematch with the WBC champion. Because of this, Joshua was left without an opponent and was forced to fight the mandatory contender for the WBO title. At that time, it was Usyk, who in a rather difficult duel defeated Derek Chisora.
However, this development is unlikely to upset fans. Instead of one super fight, the boxing world got a kind of mini-tournament for the title of the absolute world champion. Moreover, both impromptu semi-finals were supposed to take place at about the same time - September 25 and October 9. And this only disposed to holding a unification bout in the future, because the athletes actually had equal time for recovery and preparation. Joshua and Usyk were to compete first for the title of contender, and two weeks later - Fury and Wilder.
And hardly anyone was surprised that the current title holders are considered favorites. But if Fury's quotes were directly influenced by his dominance in the second fight with Wilder, then in the case of Joshua and Usyk, anthropometric rather than boxing data were at the forefront. Even despite two victories after moving to heavyweights, Alexander's chances of a successful performance in the division were assessed with skepticism. And this is not surprising, because in boxing, the height and length of the arms are of great importance, and the Ukrainian was noticeably inferior in these indicators to all of the above athletes.
Suffice it to recall how Usyk's compatriots, brothers Vitaly and Vladimir Klitschko, as well as Russian Nikolai Valuev, who achieved great success mainly thanks to anthropometry, skillfully used their data. However, you should not write off Alexander in advance, because in the history of sports there have been cases when the strongest heavyweights in the world were not the tallest fighters by the standards of the category - Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield, whose height did not exceed 190 centimeters.
“I give a lot of chances to Usik. Here, in principle, 50 to 50. Although still, perhaps, there is an advantage in the direction of Joshua for some reason. But I absolutely do not exclude the victory of Alexander. He is seriously preparing for this battle ... The question is in size, but also in speed. This is a very interesting fight. Usyk's victory will not be a sensation. But this will be a new epochal story. Usyk reminds me of Evander Holyfield, who was once given almost no chance in heavyweight, but in the end he proved to the whole world that a cruiser can win belts and become a star in heavyweight, "RIA Novosti quotes the ex-world champion in boxing by Grigory Drozd.
And this opinion cannot be ignored.
In terms of footwork, Usyk can give odds to any heavyweight, and in technique he certainly is not inferior to Joshua.
Like his opponent, he honed it during his amateur performances, and in the end he succeeded.
Both Alexander and Anthony have won gold medals at the London Olympics.
True, if the first did it in the category up to 91 kg, then the second did it up to 120.
In addition, in anticipation of the upcoming battle, there are several more factors to consider.
If earlier very few people could have imagined that Usyk was able to knock out Joshua, now it no longer seems so impossible.
The Ukrainian has noticeably gained in mass, which will affect the power of his strikes - an attribute without which it is very difficult to build a career in the most prestigious division.
The only question is whether he will be able to maintain the same ease in movements, which has repeatedly become his main trump card.
“I don’t think that it is hard for Usik to be in heavyweights - he gained weight, let's say, naturally.
You can even see that there is no farm support ... I watched the bookmakers evaluate the fight.
I will say it based on my practice.
I sparred with both the big guys and the little ones.
It caused a lot of problems for the big ones.
There were little sparring partners - guys who boxed in the weight of 67.7 kg - high-speed, athletic, and it was already difficult for me with them, ”ex-world light heavyweight champion Alexander Gvozdik admitted to Sport Arena.
Nevertheless, the Ukrainian still preferred Joshua, assessing his chances of winning a little higher - 55 to 45. In turn, Olympic champion Yegor Mekhontsev believes that there is no favorite in the upcoming confrontation, and he is sure that Usik is able to realize his advantage in movement and restrain the opponent for all 12 rounds.
“The tendril can break Joshua's fight pattern. Alexander will not knock out, not beat, will not do anything, but he will not allow anything to his opponent either - he pushes him ... The tendril is lighter and faster than Joshua on his feet. Alexander just recently changed the division and has not yet acquired muscles, and Joshua is a natural rock. He is larger and slower than Usik, who won at 91 kilograms due to speed. In the heavyweight division, Alexander will surpass his rivals even more in this regard, "RB Sport quotes Mekhontsev.
A solid advantage of Usik can be considered the presence in his team of the famous coach Anatoly Lomachenko - the father of the ex-world champion in three weight categories Vasily Lomachenko. According to representatives of the Ukrainian, the mentor will be present in his corner during the battle with Joshua. But you can't count on advice from Wladimir Klitschko. At one time, he communicated very closely, and also sparred with Joshua, and probably could tell his compatriot about his weaknesses. However, Vladimir preferred to act nobly and distance himself from both opponents. As the manager of the British David Hans admitted, Klitschko Jr. said that he "loves both" and wished the strongest to win.
Undoubtedly, the main reward for success in the upcoming fight will be four belts and the opportunity to compete for the title of absolute champion in the future.
But if this is known for a long period of time, then information about boxers' fees appeared quite recently.
And according to her, financial conditions cannot be called equal.
According to The Mirror, Joshua's fee for the fight with Usyk will be £ 15 million, which is not the highest figure by British standards.
So, over the past three years, he has never received less than £ 20 million for a fight, and for a rematch with Andy Ruiz, he even earned £ 60 million. And this may indicate a reduced interest in this battle from both sponsors and the public.
As for Usik, at the moment the confirmed data on his fee have not been published.
Nevertheless, Total Sportal believes that the guaranteed payout will be £ 3 million, and with a successful coincidence of circumstances, a Ukrainian can earn about £ 5 million. For this, at least 450 thousand people must buy the rights to watch the tournament with their participation.
One way or another, this coming Saturday, Alexander will receive a record profit in his career.
Until now, he has not been offered more than $ 2.5 million.