Anthony Joshua defends his IBF, WBA, and WBO heavyweight championship belts against mandatory challenger Oleksandr Usyk this Saturday.
The fight takes place at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and is Joshua's first since he overcame Kubrat Pulev back in December 2020.
Much of the discussion since has been dominated by the rumoured British super-fight betweenJoshua and Tyson Fury but for various reasons – mostly political, as is always the way when it comes to boxing – the fight has not been made.
Fans may see this bout as second prize but the heavyweight champion of the world cannot afford to take his Ukrainian opponent lightly.
He is a former undisputed cruiserweight champion and is undefeated with 18 wins from 18 fights, 13 of which came via knockout. So, Joshua isn't up against a slouch, but then he rarely takes an easy fight.
With Fury facing Deontay Wilder in early October, winning this will be a crucial step toward the dream fight all British boxing fans want to see
What can we expect from Joshua?
Joshua is coming off the back of back-to-back wins against Andy Ruiz Jr. and Pulev, with an almost perfect record of 24 wins and one loss in 25 fights.
He appears to be in leaner shape heading into Saturday's fight in north London, after pictures were posted showing him looking noticeably less bulky than before, suggesting that he'll be adapting his style to combat Usyk's world-class technical ability and footwork.
Joshua is still in desperate need of more wins after his loss against Ruiz Jr. all the way back in June 2019. He's lost that feeling of invincibility in the eyes of many boxing fans but it's often forgotten that AJ is a relatively inexperienced boxer, and he's still learning a huge amount in every fight.
Furthermore, heavyweight boxing is an environment where anyone can knock out anyone.
A less lenient referee could have been the difference between Wilder and Fury in their first fight, which goes to show how tight some of these contests can be.
With that in mind, Joshua could be about to enter a new stage of his career.
There would be no better way to continue his journey towards becoming the unified heavyweight champion of the world than by beating a former unified champion in Usyk.
What can we expect from Usyk?
Usyk is an incredibly accomplished amateur and professional boxer. There is a tendency when AJ is fighting to completely disregard how good his opponent can be.
Not many people gave Ruiz or Alexander Povetkin the respect they deserved prior to their fights with Joshua, and it'll likely be the same scenario here.
He's certainly smaller than the Brit, standing at 6ft 3in compared to Joshua’sat 6ft 6, and he's also got a shorter reach and has far less experience at heavyweight.
But anyone who watched Usyk dismantle Tony Bellew knows that he has the skill, speed, and punch power to take top-level fighters apart.
Since then, Usyk has obliterated Chazz Witherspoon inside eight rounds and won via a unanimous decision against Derek Chisora.
Conclusion
Joshua is undoubtedly the favourite ahead of Saturday's fight. He's bigger, more experienced, and the bout has arguably come a bit too soon for Usyk, who is still adapting to life at heavyweight.
But it is unlikely to be a walkover and Usyk has every chance of causing a big upset – throwing another spanner in the works on the journey towards Joshua v Fury.
My prediction is that Joshua will knock out Usyk in the tenth round after dominating the early stages.
I expect Joshua to come out all guns blazing and for Usyk to recover and put in a good performance in defeat.
That should hopefully set up the British super-fight sooner rather than later.
