I'm not so sure AJ has the confidence to be more aggressive. He may try but I think it would backfire.
Unless he learns to fight a southpaw it is pointless. It will make it easier for Usyk to knock him out.
I was thinking the same. He will try and then get clocked with a hard counter and if he survives he will revert back to being cautious.
I think AJ will try be more aggressive and at this point its as good a strategy as any. It's clear he will have difficulty outboxing usyk, so why not try go for the KO and impose your physical advantages? Might even work. That said, I think that loading up on his punches is going to give Usyk enough time to counter him even worse, and that if he tries to flurry and bull Usyk it will result in Usyk being like water and falling back and around AJ. I think Usyk will give away the first few rounds until the fury is spent and then beat on a gassed AJ mercilessly.
I think that AJ will really try to impose himself early to keep Usyk honest for the first 3-4 rounds, with Usyk delivering some brutal counters. I won't be surprised to see them score a KD or two before Usyk puts it on a tiring AJ in rounds 8-10, resulting in a clean KO.
Joshua was a disgrace that first fight, had all the advantages and fought like a coward and has since insinuated blame on everyone else but himself which is a very dangerous thing to do as a fighter. The rematch, Joshua has no choice now but to go in and bomb usyk out inside 5 rounds, he has a chance of doing that to anyone but against such a smart craftsman as Usyk I can see Joshua gassing out and getting badly stopped on the ropes amid a barrage of punches around the 8th or 9th round
A lot of people, including George Foreman and Lennox Lewis, had said that Andy Ruiz Jr will KO Joshua again in the rematch, they advised AJ not to take the rematch and move on. But AJ beat Andy Ruiz. So, it is not guaranteed that Usyk will beat Joshua again. Joshua had his moments in round 5 & 6 and could hurt Usyk. If AJ analyzes the first match thoroughly and trains accordingly, he has a very good chance of beating Usyk.
Usyk is always in shape and ready, he is a consummate professional. Usyk is a totally different proposition to a fat lazy blob like Ruiz.
Usyk is ten times the boxer Ruiz is. AJ will never outbox him : If he can adjust, Usyk will adjust accordingly. Joshua only has a puncher chance although a good one.
I mean this ins't even up for debate. His way to win the fight was to try and put in on Usyk beat him up, rough him up, use size and weight and reach. But instead he tried to outbox the masterboxer. Tried to out jab him and got hammerd really - other than the mid rounds when Usyk did feel the weight of some of the punches. AJ's is cought between styles, trying to be Lennox and failing he just needs to get in there and be a nasty mofo, be prepared to miss to land something big but i'm not sure he's got enough dog in him or the gas tank to do it.
Is there an argument to be made for Joshua to just work on his fitness instead of power and try the same again? I had it 4 rounds to 3 after R7. Then I gave Usyk a 5 round shut out at the end. If Joshua could have stuck with him for a couple more rounds then maybe he nicks it on points. I get the logic that he needs to be more aggressive but for that to work he needs to have good punch resistance, a reliable gas tank and the ability to hold. Which he doesn't. He just isn't a pressure fighter or a brawler. In a way I think somebody like Whyte is actually a tougher fight for Usyk, stylistically. Usyk nullifies Joshua's strengths too easily.
Joshua might come out blazing for the first round or two but when it doesn't work and his tank is running on fumes with the Cat landing counters at will he'll retreat to sparring mode and hope for a lucky punch to save his career. Tko6 Usyk.
Yes, and he will fail and get stopped in the mid-rounds IMO. Though I still won't be surprised to see this rematch fall by the wayside
Based on the 1st fight, the only plan I think that has much chance of success for AJ is to build on the one small glimmer of success he had in the 1st fight - the uppercut bodyshots. AJ should literally adopt what Canelo is doing, and come forward and unload into the body of Usyk, and more or less try and ignore whatever is coming back - try and walk through Usyk to really hurt him to the body and slow that engine down. I don't think Joshua has a good enough chin or the mental fortitude to execute this plan though - Usyk hits plenty hard enough IMO.
