Deontay Wilder predicts Oleksandr Usyk will “easily” beat Anthony Joshua in their world heavyweight title rematch on Saturday night.
Oleksandr Usyk : vs Joshua | Press conference |Fight
Oleksandr Oleksandrovych Usyk is a Ukrainian professional boxer. He is a world champion in two weight classes, having held the unified WBA (Super), IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight titles since defeating Anthony Joshua in 2021; and the undisputed cruiserweight title from 2018 to 2019, being the first cruiserweight champion to hold all four major world titles. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest Ukrainian boxers of all time.
| Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Real name | Oleksandr Oleksandrovych Usyk |
| Nickname(s) | The Cat |
| Weight(s) |
|
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) |
| Reach | 78 in (198 cm) |
| Nationality | Ukrainian |
With his victory over Joshua, Usyk became one of only three boxers to have unified the cruiserweight world titles and become a world heavyweight champion, joining Evander Holyfield and David Haye.
Vs Joshua
After losing in their first fight one year ago, Joshua, 32, wants to celebrate the 10th anniversary of winning London Olympic gold by reclaiming his place back at the top table of the heavyweight class.
And that could even mean teeing up a long-awaited fight with Tyson Fury.
There had been a lot of doubt whether this heavyweight blockbuster was going to go ahead.
As AJ and his Ukrainian opponent witnessed their exciting match-up get pushed back TWICE, once in May and again in July.
Usyk, 35, returned to his home country earlier this tear to join the fight in the war against Russia, which began in February.
But he’s now in training camp for the biggest fight of his life and the confirmed start time has been revealed.
Usyk outpointed and largely outclassed a game Joshua in front of 70,000 fans at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last September to win the WBA, WBO, IBF & IBO world titles.
Press conference
Oleksandr Usyk performed a Ukrainian anthem about fighting for independence after warning Anthony Joshua he faces a continuation of the dismantling he endured in their first bout.
Dressed in a traditional Cossack outfit for the head-to-head press conference on Wednesday, the unified world champion remained on stage after he had faced off with Joshua to sing “Oi u luzi chervona kalyna”.
The 1875 call to arms was inspired by Ukraine’s 18th‑century battle for independence and is now intoned as a display of defiance in the face of Russia’s invasion.
Usyk served as a military volunteer in Kyiv before being told he would better represent his nation by successfully defending the WBA, IBF and WBO titles he seized from Joshua almost a year ago.
The rivals meet in Jeddah on Saturday and the undefeated 35‑year‑old fighter has told Joshua to expect more punishment from his fists. “We learned a lot about each other in the first fight. He learned about me and I learned about him,” Usyk said.
Oleksandr Usyk fight
The British star will attempt to regain the WBA, IBF and WBO titles in his return fight against Usyk in Jeddah, live on Sky Sports Box Office.
On an exciting undercard, Filip Hrgovic faces Zhilei Zhang in an IBF heavyweight title fight, with the winner securing a shot against the Usyk vs Joshua 2 winner.
Liverpudlian Callum Smith can stay on course for a world light-heavyweight title fight if he defeats Mathieu Bauderlique.
Ramla Ali, the unbeaten Somalian-British featherweight, takes on Crystal Garcia Nova earlier in the evening in the first women’s professional boxing match to take place in Saudi Arabia.