Anthony Joshua v Oleksandr Usyk 2

[Master]

If Oleksandr Usyk beats Anthony Joshua in their rematch, an undisputed heavyweight title fight with Tyson Fury is the obvious next step.

The ‘Gypsy King’ said he would come out of retirement to have an undisputed clash for half a billion dollars, but for the Ukrainian Usyk his mind is focused on only one thing outside of his rematch with Joshua – his nation’s war with Russia.

When Russia invaded Ukraine earlier this year, Usyk quickly returned home to fight, joining a local territorial defence force in Kyiv.

His fight with Joshua was then cast into doubt, and the Brit even began considering potential opponents for an interim fight.

Usyk was then offered the chance to leave Ukraine to fulfil his contractual obligations to fight Joshua in a rematch and he accepted, with the pair now set to meet on August 20.

It seems, however, that Usyk will not be pursuing another fight with Fury or anyone after his clash with Joshua, as he plans to fly back to Ukraine immediately.

“As soon as I finish the fight and take care of all the other business, I will immediately travel to Ukraine,” Usyk told talkSPORT.

“If I have my fight on the 20th, on the 22nd I will be in Ukraine.”

The current unified WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight champion also revealed that he is planning a special tribute to Ukraine during his ring walk for the rematch that will take place in Saudi Arabia.

“I do plan to have a very specific entrance to the ring, but it’s a secret at the moment,” Usyk said.

In the first fight, Usyk masterfully out-boxed Joshua over twelve rounds to win by a comfortable unanimous decision.

Joshua, however, has described himself as the ‘comeback king’ ahead of the rematch, so only time will tell whether Usyk has what it takes to tackle a re-invigorated ‘AJ’ and defend his heavyweight world titles.

https://talksport.com/sport/boxing/1...ht-tyson-fury/

[NoSavingByTheBell]

if AJ thinks that overly-cautious "victory" against Ruiz makes him the comeback king, well, ................

[Mark TKO]

if AJ thinks that overly-cautious "victory" against Ruiz makes him the comeback king, well, ................

I thought the same. There was an obvious strategy to beat Ruiz. Helped even more by ruiz being even less in shape. Fair play to joshua for using it though it was all about winning.

Usyk is not Ruiz

[Master]

Usyk looks huge and probably added the muscle because he knows AJ will attack him more than he did in the first fight. He probably wants to catch AJ coming in and deter him from being too aggressive.

AJ looks a bit lost from the interviews and I am having my doubts about him now.

[Master]

Froch told Betfred's Lightweight Boxing Show: "Sometimes a change is good, but for Anthony Joshua to beat Oleksandr Usyk, he needs a brain transplant. He's got all the physical attributes but I just don't think he can beat him."

Froch told iFL TV in another interview: 'I think it's going to be difficult for Joshua to beat Usyk in this rematch; it's going to be very difficult unless he changes his train of thought and his mindset.

"His mindset needs to be bang on. He needs to start believing in himself and go in that ring with all the confidence that he can and will do the job. If he goes in believing, he can achieve. "I just think since the Ruiz loss, he hasn't had that mindset and hasn't had that mentality of a winner. He just sort of got through the rematch with Ruiz, and I wasn't impressed with the (Kubrat) Pulev victory. "I've not seen that fire back in his belly. I don't think leaving Rob McCracken, I don't know it was a good decision or not, but I'm hoping it works out to be a good decision for him in terms of changing his mentality. "Maybe a change is as good as anything else when you have a rematch with somebody like Usyk because he needs to do something different. "It's a tough one for AJ. I'm not saying he can't do it, because he can, he has all the physical attributes. But he needs to get it right mentally. He needs to get his head right. If he doesn't believe in himself, he may as well not even bother turning up."

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/boxi...c8dc2148fb27d8

[Master]

“Sometimes I just force myself to smile,” he says. “Or I force myself to sing or to dance. But I don’t even know how to explain all of this. My children are asking: Father, why do they want to kill us?

“I just don’t know how to answer that.”

Within two days, Usyk was the new world heavyweight champion and he spoke with pure sincerity of his desire to celebrate by planting new trees and watering existing ones. “I want to live,” he had said.

“I really didn’t want to leave my country or my city,” he continues. “But at one point I went to a hospital where soldiers were wounded and getting rehabilitation from the war and they were telling me, asking me to go and fight for my country and for my pride. They told me that, if I go and fight there, I am even going to help our country more than if I stayed and fought in the war.

“I know a lot of my close friends are on the front line, standing and fighting, so all I am doing right now is supporting them. With this fight I want to bring them some joy in between what they do.”

Before his departure, Usyk was part of a territorial defence battalion in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv and took part in armed patrols. “Every day I was there I would pray to the Lord, please don’t let anybody try to kill me,” he says. “Don’t let anybody shoot me and please don’t make me have to shoot any other person. But if I had felt any danger, or that me or my family’s lives were in jeopardy, I would have to.

“It took me only one day of the war to understand completely that everything I have, everything that I have achieved, all my belts, all my titles, I can lose it all in just one second.”

Dressed in a yellow and blue T-shirt that reads “Colours of Freedom”, Usyk also speaks about how he has kept in close contact with the compatriots he left behind to fight, which include fellow pound-for-pound great Vasyl Lomachenko. "He is good," Usyk says of his dear friend. “Loma is now a Ukrainian solder.”

Usyk has even had to watch footage of the house that he left vacant being ransacked by Russian soldiers.

“My family are not in Ukraine, but a lot of people I know and a lot of my close friends are inside the country,” he says. “I am in touch with them every day, I am asking them for updates.

“I want to hear how they’re feeling and that they are safe. I didn’t want to leave the country. I want to live there still. Straight after the fight I will go back to Ukraine.

“That house in Vorzel belongs to me, and it’s true that Russian soldiers went into the house, broke a fence and all sorts of different things. They made living spaces and stayed there for a while.”

When asked whether he may cut himself off from such troubling updates as the fight grows closer, Usyk shakes his head. “I’m going to be following every single day to hear what’s happening in my country,” he says.

“I don’t even think about him or whatever he wants to do, his new tactics or new trainers,” Usyk says of Joshua, who recently added Robert Garcia to his coaching team. “I really don’t care – I’m only thinking about what I want to do.

“When I fight, I don’t think about what I’m supposed to do, only about winning. We are working very hard and trying to be better in this next fight. We are making new goals and with the Lord’s help, yes, we are going to be better.

“Since I was 16 years old I prayed to the Lord, and every time I feel things getting very difficult for me, I thank him. I thank him for what he’s doing to me.

“I think that’s what puts me where I am right now. I believe someone is looking after me.”

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/boxi...c8dc2148fb27d8

[NoSavingByTheBell]

At the neural level, at the psychiatric level, AJ was marketed into being this huge Adonis and he went along with it. But the fire was really never there. I give him credit for his victory over Klit, and this will FOREVER be looked upon as his shining moment in the sun. So AJ in a way can sort of be looked upon as a Leon Spinks or a Buster Douglas kind of flash in the pan really. A big huge guy like that, ripped with muscles, he fills all the visual reqs and checks all the boxes. Thing was and still is, if the fire aint there, the fire aint there.

[Master]

At the neural level, at the psychiatric level, AJ was marketed into being this huge Adonis and he went along with it. But the fire was really never there. I give him credit for his victory over Klit, and this will FOREVER be looked upon as his shining moment in the sun. So AJ in a way can sort of be looked upon as a Leon Spinks or a Buster Douglas kind of flash in the pan really. A big huge guy like that, ripped with muscles, he fills all the visual reqs and checks all the boxes. Thing was and still is, if the fire aint there, the fire aint there.

Leon and Buster never successfully defended the titles the way AJ did. AJ is better than those two. If I had to compare AJ to past heavyweights it would be Ernie Terrell, 6 ft 6inches, muscle, paper champ whilst the real heavyweight was Ali.

[Master]

Anthony Joshua has revealed that Robert Garcia is not actually his main boxing coach ahead of his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk.

Instead, that honour falls to Rob McCracken’s former second, Angel Fernandez.

The British superstar was speaking on The DAZN Boxing Show on Thursday when he made the stunning revelation.

He chatted to reporters at a press conference to promote his second fight with Usyk as both men touched down in London for the second leg of their promotional world tour.

AJ was then asked about his decision to change trainers, which has been the subject of much debate, including appointing Garcia, who has won countless titles as a boxer and a coach.

But Joshua admitted he let Fernandez influence his next move.

He revealed: “I think it’s important that my coach made the decisions, Angel Fernandez.

“That’s the guy we appointed as the UK head trainer so I felt like it was important for Angel to choose.

“I like Robert Garcia, I think he’s very talented so I put his name on the list along with about four or five others, so he went to see different people and then I left it to Angel and the team to say ‘look, this is who we want to appoint.’”

Joshua was quick not to shut the door completely on McCracken, having spent almost the entirety of his career at the Team GB setup in Sheffield, adding: “I don’t call it parting with Rob – just in a training capacity, yeah for sure.

“The respect’s still there, Rob is welcome to the training camp at anytime and give his two pence.

“I feel every fighter right, in my opinion, should be able to go out into the world and learn from other people.

“It’s so important for a fighter to develop their skills with different coaches, don’t feel locked down and feel like you’re parting ways because you’re trying something new or you’re trying to learn something new.

“Yeah I’m with a different team for the fight but that doesn’t mean that I’m just parting ways.

“Who knows, in the future I might say, ‘Hey Rob, can you come back and train me?’

“It’s not like because I’ve parted ways now that’s what it is forever.”

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/boxi...edb887dd1cf167

[Master]

Anthony Joshua's highly anticipated rematch with Oleksandr Usyk is to be shown on Sky Sports Box Office - despite the British heavyweight signing a lucrative deal with streaming service DAZN last month.

Sportsmail previously reported the 32-year-old's promoter Eddie Hearn negotiated a £100million deal with DAZN spread over five years - with Joshua turning his back on Sky Sports.

However, as reported by the Telegraph, Sky Sports have won a bidding contest with DAZN to show the bout which takes place on August 20 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

It's said that Sky Sports have edged out their rivals to show Joshua's attempt at recapturing the world heavyweight titles he lost last year, with a bid worth around £28million.

Joshua and his Ukrainian opponent Usyk are expected to share a purse of at least £100million.

Despite the bout being arguably the most important of Joshua's career, it was not included in his deal with DAZN.

Hearn previously said: 'This fight is outside of the the DAZN deal, the long-term DAZN deal, because the rights are owned by the site effectively, so that'll be negotiated separately.'

After putting pen to paper last month, Joshua said: 'I am entering a new phase in my career with a new training environment, new coaches and now a new broadcaster.

'Negotiations at this level take time so I am pleased to have it all wrapped up and now I can fully focus on giving the fans and DAZN what they want, knockouts in the glamour division.

'I've been working with DAZN and following its progress for a long time. We have enjoyed a really successful partnership in the US for many years and I know the team and understand the passion and drive of the business.

'DAZN's vision and passion to innovate is what attracted me to the partnership. They are leading the digital landscape in sport and the future of sports broadcasting. I am really looking forward to a long and successful partnership.'

Joshua had a separate contract to show his fights exclusively on Sky Sports, but that expired after his first fight against Usyk at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in September.

The Watford-born star was then the subject of a bidding war in which he pledged his allegiance to Hearn's new project with DAZN.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/boxi...d39e55fac507cc

[Master]

Oleksandr Usyk has enlisted the help of Anthony Joshua's former sparring partner, Martin Bakole, in preparations for his rematch with the Brit. Bakole was formerly one of 'AJ's' main sparring partners but has since begun working with the Ukrainian.

The 18-1 professional boxer was in camp with Usyk for the first Joshua fight and has now been brought back in for the rematch. Confirming the news, Bakole's coach Billy Nelson told Sky Sports: "Usyk really appreciates Martin's skills. He's sparred with him over in the UK and before the first AJ fight and now they've asked him back in Dubai for AJ 2. Clearly, they think very highly of him."

Back in May, during another interview with the same platform, Nelson spoke about Bakole and Usyk's sparring before the first Joshua fight and claimed that the Congolese heavyweight has a better skill set than the two-time heavyweight champion.

"I think Martin gave them the best sparring he's had. Usyk and his team respect his skill to the extent that one of his team said Martin will become a world champion in the not-too-distant future. I'd say Martin's skill set is better than Anthony Joshua's. Joshua probably punches harder than Martin, but Martin's output is much higher along with his variety of punches."

Bakole is a highly thought-of contender and is currently ranked No 11 by the WBC and No 5 by the WBA and IBF. But besides his obvious ability, Bakole has very similar dimensions to Joshua and has clearly been brought in to emulate the Brit. Both men stand at 6 foot 6 inches tall and carry a healthy 80-inch plus reach, but Bakole is better known for his volume and combination punching while Joshua is known for his athleticism and power.

The 29-year-old is coming off a career-best victory over Olympic gold medallist Tony Yoka who pipped British contender Joe Joyce to the top of the podium at Rio 2016. Bakole has only lost once in 19 fights with that sole blemish coming against Michael Hunter.

Now, according to his coach, the Airdrie-based boxer is hoping to face Joseph Parker next as he continues to climb the sanctioning body rankings.

"We'd gladly fight Parker, especially if it was an eliminator for a world title," Nelson told Sky Sports. "No problem whatsoever. Let's do it."

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/boxi...ccd517ba0db399

[Master]

Tyson Fury has said he would return to the ring to fight Anthony Joshua if the bout were to take place at Wembley Stadium with fans allowed free entry.

Fury fought at the London venue in April, knocking out fellow Briton Dillian Whyte to remain unbeaten and retain the WBC heavyweight title. The “Gypsy King” then suggested that the contest would be his last, though he has gone back and forth on the prospect of a return in subsequent interviews.

Now Fury has updated the terms under which he would supposedly face compatriot Joshua, who is due to rematch Oleksandr Usyk in Saudi Arabia on 20 August. Unbeaten Ukrainian Usyk outpointed “AJ” in September to win the WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO heavyweight titles.

“Mr Businessman, he’s not a fighting man,” Fury said on his After Party tour in Stockton on Saturday.

“I swear to God, I hope he wins the fight against Usyk so I can come out of retirement and fight him for free.

“However, the terms are this: I want it at Wembley Stadium, I want it free to enter, and I want it on free-to-air television in this country.

“I mean what I’m saying: I’ll fight him for free in England, not in a foreign country for more money; here, for free, for the people.

Fury previously said he would not fight again professionally for less than £500million, though he had suggested that the prospect of a clash with Usyk excited him more than the idea of facing Joshua.

Many fans are eager to see Fury take on the winner of Joshua and Usyk’s rematch in a fight to crown an undisputed heavyweight champion.

Joshua and Fury seemed to have a two-fight deal in place last year for an all-British unification bout and rematch, but Fury was legally obliged to fight Deontay Wilder for a third time and Joshua went on to box Usyk.

After Usyk outpointed Joshua in London in September, Fury knocked out Wilder in Las Vegas in October to make it back-to-back stoppage wins against the American after their controversial draw in 2018.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/boxi...ccd517ba0db399

[Master]

Oleksandr Usyk's decision to recruit the services of Deontay Wilder's trainer Malik Scott in the lead-up to his rematch against Anthony Joshua on August 20 has baffled fans. Scott is a former sparring partner of Usyk and has been brought into camp to help with preparations.

The unified heavyweight champion is believed to be sparring with Scott's fighter Gerald Washington and Scott is said to be overseeing sessions. Posting to Instagram, he said: "PSA: I'm here in Dubai, UAE, training camp working with Heavyweight champions Alexander Usyk, Gerald Washington and other future champions."

The decision seems to be a strange one considering Express Sport has been told that Usyk's people don't normally allow other coaches into the training camp. Responding to the news, fans had a mixed response.

One said: "Malik Scott training Usyk. This is fantastic news for AJ fans."

Another tweeted: "Usyk brought you in! That's interesting."

One added: "Malik Scott in camp with Usyk for the AJ fight?"

Scott was widely praised for his work with Wilder ahead of the 'Bronze Bomber's' third fight with Tyson Fury. The American puncher showed marked improvements in his boxing IQ and punch variety. But the choice to bring in a rival trainer to watch Usyk's work has raised some eyebrows.

All of the noise coming out of Usyk's camp suggests that the Ukrainian is looking extremely spiteful in sparring and is opting to involve himself in regular gym wars. According to Aamir Ali, the manager of his training partner Nursultan Amanzholov, 'The Cat' has been hurting far larger sparring partners and sending them home.

"He [Amanzholov] says there are days when Usyk goes to war with him. It's not easy to hurt Nursultan but he's been on the receiving end a few times. But a lot of his heavyweights have been sent back home if they can't stay in camp," Ali told Sky Sports. "They can't keep up."

Ali added: "He said as soon as [Usyk] came back from Jeddah, from the press conference, the day he arrived back, he phoned up Nursultan who was sitting in his hotel and said to him, 'I want you sparring today.' Literally got off the plane and started sparring straightaway and [Amanzholov] said he was in a foul mood. He was in a really angry mood, and wanted to go to war."

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/boxi...65e9dd3901372a

[Master]

Legendary trainer Teddy Atlas has ripped into Anthony Joshua. Atlas claims Joshua 'accepts losing too easily' and looks like 'a guy who has earned too much money'.

Since losing to Oleksandr Usyk in September, 'AJ' has been met with waves of criticism from people inside the boxing world. Among those names is Atlas, who has slammed the Brit for his mental fragility.

"I think Usyk's gonna win [against Joshua]. I can't go against Usyk, how can I go against the guy, he gives you no reason to," Atlas said during the latest episode of his podcast 'The Fight'.

"He was an undefeated Cruiserweight champ and unified all the titles, the best Cruiserweight ever besides Holyfield, he's an Olympic gold medallist. He doesn't know how to lose. I think that Joshua is too good a loser.

"He's a classy guy, I'm not saying I want him to be a sore loser - that says the wrong things. I'm just saying that sometimes it looks like Joshua accepts losing a little too freely, like he did against Ruiz the first time in the Garden, almost like a guy who's made too much money. Sometimes I just feel that it's not important enough to him anymore."

Atlas has trained multiple world champions, including two-time world heavyweight champion Michael Moorer; world featherweight champion Barry McGuigan; world light heavyweight champion Donny LaLonde and world welterweight champion Simon Brown.

The New Yorker doesn't give 'AJ' much of a chance when he faces Usyk again on August 20 and has even claimed that he would get knocked out by WBO mandatory Joe Joyce.

He said: "Joe Joyce could wind up fighting the winner of Usyk and Joshua. I'll tell you something I think he knocks out Joshua. How does that feel for you Brits? Put that in your pipe and smoke it."

Similar claims were made by 'The Juggernaut' himself recently when he tore apart Joshua for his lack of hunger.

Talking to The Sun, Joyce said: "If by some miracle Joshua beats Usyk, he will have to face me or vacate the [WBO] belt. His chin has gone, and I don't think his heart is fully in the game anymore. He always talks about staying hungry, but the world can see he's not hungry anymore for boxing. He's a businessman more interested in lecturing students."

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/boxi...65e9dd3901372a

[Spicoli]

Usyk tko 11 can't wait