He’s a sharp shooter. If he does indeed beat Joshua, it’s not gonna be by tapping and running. He has to keep the bigger man off, so there will be no light volume punching here. There will be sharp counters to hurt Joshua. If he wins it’s with a counter left uppercut doing the damage.
Agreed. Anyone who watched him in the WSB will know that Usyk can throw bucketloads of punches and be the aggressor against bigger men.
I see him baiting and hurting AJ. I really do. Until the right shot/moment. Usyk never panics so never really rushes or smothers his work.
And even if he does win the fight on points. He won’t be winning it on the judges cards. We all know that, right?
The closer it gets and the more I see of usyk I think he is actually a little bit crazy, he really doesn't seem bothered or worried about fighting AJ at all considering its going to be infront of 70000, he just takes everything in his stride. To me that shows a sign of somebody completely in control mentally and a fighter who just knows he is going to win. I want AJ to win but I think usyk is the real deal and will find a way to win , the last person with fast hands joshua faced he lost too and the speed difference between between ruiz and usykis huge, usyk is not going for a points win he knows he needs the stoppage!!!
If we look back at Tony Dosh PPV v Pudding Whyte in round 2 and the farce v Rice Pudding Jnr in New York, it does not need a power punch to get Tony Dosh PPV incapacitated from the waist up. Wlad hits hard as well but he took 2 rounds to recover from being hit with Wlad's finest at 41. The first two examples above show even a mediocre power punch landing has him drained of stamina for far too long. Usyk will be able to tee off Prime Evander Holyfield style getting the job done there and then and be the Real Deal instead of Andy Ruiz the Meal Deal. We are talking big Dave Price issues when he is hit - stamina and confidence completely gone. Tony Dosh PPV needs to land a big one early and stop Usyk. His Hughie Fury tactics worked against a little fatty but Usyk is a different proposition. Gut feeling I think Usyk may have arrived as a challenger 2-3 fights too early and gets knocked out in the early rounds. It will be great viewing should the fight go past 4 rounds.
And yes, there is no way that Usyk will be handed the decision. Sport is big business and the pinnacle of boxing's big business is dependant on Joshua overcoming Usyk. Usyk, despite probably being more capable than any other Joshua opponent, has the least chance of anyone he has faced in getting a decision. I wonder who the referee will be. Never rule out a questionable TKO.
I think usyks biggest asset is the mental aspect,he,and fighters like him can drain an opponent mentally and make them desperate, make them doubt themselves If joshua ends up in that mindstate due to usyks tactics anytime in the fight he is in trouble Plus usyks footwork can be a nightmare for fighters I do think aj is gonna stick it on usyk and get the win down the stretch,but usyk could potentially draw joshua into a mindstate he doesnt want to be in in this fight,which leads to losses
If a Ukranian can go and fight a Russian in Russia in the WBSS final they clearly dont get phased easily.
It can go the other way though. Bellew, and I'm not knocking him as I like him, but he's nowhere near Uysk in terms of IQ, walked Usyk onto some amateur setups. He can be vulnerable at times, and that's a bad thing against a man with AJ's power (and he carries it late, too).
This is my instinct too. He's getting on and has had to fast track his way in to the division and this is a little too soon. AJ's best chance for me is imposing himself and being the bigger man. He doesn't want to let Usyk find his rhythm. If that happens then it might get interesting. If Joshua rediscovers his nuts though it could end up being a short night.
Usyk will make him gas, and drown him late with a late stoppage. (If not, points) Remember Joshua does not have the chin that Chisora has.
No but he hits harder, straighter, has a a better array of punches, better judge of distance and has a good reach advantage. tough, tough fight this but i'm going with the bigger man but I think Usyk will make it really difficult early. AJ's jab could be a huge key to him winning the fight.
Usyk can stop AJ, not with a single punch but we have to remember AJ stays hit, so it might take a few solid shots and AJ could be in trouble. Also, look at the end of the Ruiz fight, they were not huge punches, AJ was hurt, very tired, couldn't deal with the pace and he didnt want to be hit any longer and quit. Once you quit, the next time is easier and I am not saying that's going to happen but I wouldn't be surprised if it does.