Anthony Joshua’s upcoming bout with Oleksandr Usyk (18-0) isn’t your ordinary warm-up fight. In fact, it isn’t a warm-up fight at all.
Joshua (24-1) took the Usyk fight when Tyson Fury was mandated to fight Deontay Wilder for a third time. The delay with Fury comes with a lot of risks. Joshua can lose to Usyk and expect to get a fight with Fury or if he does, it would be at a discount. Then there’s the possibility that Fury will lose to Wilder. If that happens does that shift Joshua’s attention to a fight with Wilder? Would it be a multi-fight deal? There’s no doubt that a Wilder fight would be worth less than a fight with Fury.
That’s why Joshua needs to take care of the business in front of him. In his last fight, Joshua dispatched of Kubrat Pulev with a knockout in the ninth round.
Usyk last fight was a unanimous decision over Derek Chisora. The former cruiserweight champion is fighting for the third time as a heavyweight.
Joshua should expect a lot of movement from Usyk so there will be some patience needed. That will be a balancing act. There’s no doubt that Joshua would like to see Usyk aggressive become it will give him an opportunity to score an impressive looking victory. A fight like the one in the rematch with Andy Ruiz wouldn’t be enough against a blown up cruiserweight.
That’s going to be the challenge. Win with style points without slipping.
