If you were AJ, how would you approach the 2nd Usyk fight?

Think you're right. It's tempting to say 'go Kronk style' but Usyk is better placed than pretty much any HW to deal with that. He's got all the answers as long as his legs and fitness are comparable in the next fight.

Josh Taylor said jump on him from the opening bell. He had the right instinct.

 

Go for the knockout.

 

same out come
just come in heavy and put it on him lean on him
physical
its his only chance he aint out boxing him

 

I love reading differing opinions on this site.

Here's mine.

Joshua cannot beat Usyk on points. Ever. Usyk is a cardio freak who wasn't slowing at all and probably won't. Joshua will gas before Usyk does due to the way he's built. He can't retrain to be a long rounds pressure fighter. It's not in his locker. I doubt Joshua can do much more re. stamina.

So that leaves trying to K.O. Usyk. Now that's no easy task as he's a slippery as a slippery thing. That said, he can be hit, but his chin is decent. Joshua landed at least one belting punch in the fight and Usyk shook it off and in my view counterattacked immediately as per his plan. Usyk observed Joshua post Ruiz, he's scared to press an attack because he's chinny and knows he's at risk if he does so.

So that leaves trying to bomb Usyk out which will put Joshua in jeopardy. He needs to come in as heavy as he feels comfortable and spend rounds 1-5 trying to put Usyk away. That means land and follow-up with no hesitation. Claim centre-ring and bull Usyk back. Fight inside hard and rough him up. If he manages that all good. If he gets KO'd then that's the price to pay. If it goes long? He's getting a painful lesson in the realities of boxing. He'd be better off getting knocked out.

Of course AJ could try pretty much the same plan again and hope that he lands a better punch. That might work 1 in 50 times but is far more likely to lead to exactly the same result. If I were him (I'm not and have none of the talent) I'd look to give it one last massive hurrah before quitting if I lose.

 

Another possible - borderline dirty - tactic AJ could emply is to simply let his hands go more often, targetting Usyk's arms - Usyk has had a bicep injury before, and we all saw what Canelo did to Callum Smiths arm form repeated clubbing blows.

There was one point - i think in the fifth - where Joshua connected on Usyk's arm/wrist heavily and I thought I saw a bit of a wince/reaction.

It would be a lot harder for Usyk to close out the championship rounds like he did if he can hardly lift his arms.

Not sure how much milage there is to this either tbh.

It says a lot about how well rounded Usyk is that it's hard to find a gameplan within the constraints of Joshua's style.

 

Before the fight he needs 2-3 shots of Whiskey(or any kind of spirit) to relax his nerves. Then he might actually let his hands go and go for the kill in the first few rounds, that is his only chance to beat Usyk.

 

Box him the same for 4 rounds

When Usyk slows his lateral movement go after him

 

Honestly if I were AJ I'd accept the fact I'm gonna give away the first 1/3rd of the fight, and focus on hammering away to the body, wrestling and leaning on Usyk. And when Usyk starts to look fatigued I'd pounce and hope that I can get him out of there before he gets his 2nd wind.

AJ isn't gonna outbox Usyk, and going in hoping for a knockout without putting in the work to slowdown Usyk beforehand is a fools game.

Of course if AJ can't get Usyk out of there before he gets his 2nd wind....he will either lose another decision or potentially get stopped. But I honestly cannot envision any other way he can get the better of Usyk.

 

If I were advising him I absolutely wouldn't have him take the rematch. That said - the way they're talking about it it seems like he is legally obliged to take it, which is strange, I'd expect it to be optional whether he exercises the clause or not. I can't see why they're so dead set on taking it if it's an option, seems like a dumb move from Hearn.

If he has the option I wouldn't touch it. He has a better chance with Fury so far as I'm concerned, Usyk already had his number and now he has 12 rounds. I'd have him take some fairly beatable opponents to - at the least - rebuild confidence and get some positive ring experience. Ideally Wilder, Whyte, Ruiz someone like that.

If he has to do the rematch, there are only so many adaptations he could really learn, and even then - their effectiveness relies on the same Usyk turning up and failing to himself adapt in the ring, which seems unlikely.

 

He needs to do the opposite of what the adjustments he did for the Ruiz rematch.

Rather than trying to show silky boxing skills he needs to get in beast mode and rough Usyk up.
It's shite or bust- if he doesn't get him out of there and gasses atleast he's had a go but that's the only chance I think he has of beating Usyk

 

Cut down the ring on him. Work on cornerning him...then let them hands go. Got to learn to fight in bursts. And diffuse the situation when on the defence. By holding, covering up. Dont try to throw with him. Forget about points and go for damage. His best bet is to let usyk attack...diffuse the best he can...then its time for him to attack. Thats kind of what usyks does himself. Suspect usyk wouldnt fall for that tho...so you,ve to go on the front foot and attack first then diffuse when its usyks turn. Sometimes he wont get anywhere with usyk trying to attack...again just diffuse it. You dont always need to be throwing. The quicker he realises he wont beat usyk on points the better.

The worst possible tactic for joshua against usyk was to try to box with him. Get back on the weights/plyometrics. He doesnt and wont ever have the boxing experience to deal with usyk. The guys too good and too experienced...in that situation being an athletes probably the only thing that can at least help you to bridge the massive gap.

 

I Joshua 4 rounds in that fight, and the only reason he won those rounds was down to bodywork. I was amazed no one in Joshua's team got him to just go to the body. Usyk leaves himself open to the right hook to the body often enough and every time he was hit there he was straight in reverse and his facial expression clearly showed he's vulnerable there.

There was a big momentum swing for joshua around the 5th from body shots, but him and his team never capitalised on it. Pretty amateurish tbh

 

Get Usyks respect early Lomachenko Lopez style. walk him down beind a jab, heavily attack the body, jab to the body, uppercut to the body because it's a punch that Usyk was open for in the last fight, stop being a gunshy doofus and throw a right cross over Usyks lead hand immediately when he's pawing or probing to make him think twice about playing chess in range and chin down hands up so you're less vulnerable to Usyks left hand. when you get Usyk on the ropes, throw a couple combinations to the body and then lean all your weight on him, when a clinch happens throw uppercuts and bodyshots Riddick Bowe style. Win most of those early and mid rounds off sheer aggression and inside work and then coast for the later rounds, get your gas tank back up and then repeat those steps for the championship rounds and last but not least pace yourself. Relax.

 

He`s got to change his pad work:
3:28 AJ`s team are useless, 3:39 looks like Rocky hitting the pads.

 

Joshua lost the battle of the jabs, Usyk totally negated the Joshua's jab that was so key in Joshua's wins over Pulev and Povetkin. For example the first straight left Usyk lands in rd 1 is set up by Usyk constantly jabbing AJ's lead hand, but then he feints, Joshua goes to parry the jab that never comes, Usyk steps to the outside of his missed parrying lead hand and fires a straight left down the line. We saw this again and again throughout the fight, Usyk controls Joshua's lead hand to set up his own punches.

So for Joshua to have a better chance 2nd time around he needs to address this. He can't get into a jab and parry fencing match because he will lose against the quicker hands of Usyk. He needs to adopt a Lewis style lead hand. Half extended, partly to control range by creating a barrier to Usyk from stepping in but also to cut the distance he requires to land his own jab, if you can't match his speed, then reduce the distance your fist has to move to land.

Extending the lead hand also forces Usyk to be the one to lead more, so often it was Joshua trying to jab and Usyk countering. Just keeping it out there blocking Usyk, makes him have to either step in or outside the lead hand and then Joshua can counter. Instead of being the one forced to lead and being countered when he does, he can sit back and be the one to counter which he prefers anyway.

Also learn to pivot jab, a jab where when you throw it, you pivot from the lead foot to generate power but then drag the rear foot, back and to the left which takes you off the line and should make it harder for Usyk to land a counter left straight.

Work the body more and do so from round 1, those body shots were the only thing that got any kind of response from Usyk, those uppercuts down the middle as he came in helped stop Usyk from coming inside as much.

I'd adjust AJ's guard, specifically the right hand. AJ holds is up to his cheek to block hooks, but I'd adopt a more open glove, slightly in front position to try and block and catch Usyk's straight left. Yes it opens AJ up to the left hook instead but to land that Usyk needs to get closer and that shrinking of distance may allow AJ to land a counter when Usyk is moving out.

Be more physical. Easier said than done, the few times Joshua tried to collar tie him, he looked clumsy as Usyk is just so slippery. This was partly because he was always the guy leading and chasing Usyk, he never tried to make Usyk come to him and then step into him when Usyk comes in. Usyk was just able to do what he likes, dance around on the outside make Joshua lead and step into his counters, Joshua needs to try and change that pattern and make Usyk lead more and come to him as the taller man. Not easy but if he can be patient and not so reactive and so inclined to lead he might be able to draw Usyk in more and then be able to be more physical. It will also help him dictate the pace of the fight, not by trying to be busy but by slowing things down to a pace that suits him more rather than fighting at Usyk's pace.