Get all you wish to know ahead of the Anthony Joshua vs Usyk 2 match slated for August 20, 2022, It can be recalled that at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London last year, Oleksandr Usyk stunned Anthony Joshua and his hometown supporters.

Joshua won the super heavyweight gold medal in the 2012 Olympic Games, making him the face of British boxing. He had become a formidable force in the heavyweight division throughout the nearly ten years that had passed since then, winning the WBO, WBA, and IBF heavyweight belts.

Usyk was regarded as one of the best boxers in the entire world. He is, nevertheless, the smaller man. At 91 kg lighter, he had already won the Olympic gold in London 2012.

The Ukrainian was the undefeated cruiserweight champion, but his record as a professional heavyweight was less impressive.

Before facing Joshua, he had only fought twice in that category, defeating Chazz Witherspoon and outpointing Derek Chisora. However, his performance to unseat Joshua and claim the unified heavyweight title was outstanding.

Here is how and where the battle was won and defeated.

Round 1

Despite the advantage of hindsight, Joshua’s performance in the opening round raised red flags. Usyk, a southpaw, managed to take the lead with a strong left backhand. It came down hard. Usyk never let Joshua pin him on the ropes because he was moving almost constantly around him. Even though it was only round one, Usyk’s victory was nonetheless a crucial turning point in the competition.

When Tony Bellew faced Usyk, a bigger man in terms of height, reach, power, and natural strength, Dave Coldwell, the trainer who cornered Bellew, said, “You’re going to be going in there rather concerned.

There might be some trepidation there because you’re handing out so many benefits. But if you have a chance to enter the fight, establish your timing, and then immediately begin hitting power shots, I believe that there will be a significant change in the tide.

With Oleksandr Usyk having an advantage over Anthony Joshua.

Round 2

Usyk alarmed Joshua with his jab. He doubled it and cut a cross into the flesh. He even increased that advantage by allowing the first two shots to miss in order to drive the third one in.

Joshua’s left hand was deflected by his right hand, acting as a shield to stop Joshua from utilizing it.

“He doesn’t always retract the jab. It isn’t a standard jab that comes back to the chin and is fired from the same posture. He will use it to poke and probe and fling it in various directions and at various angles, according to Coldwell.

“He stopped AJ’s jab, which made it hesitant and lethargic. Then Usyk, who has good speed and quick responses, could counter AJ’s jab over the top since it was timid and slow.

Round 3

These deceptive blows allowed Usyk to re-hit the body. Although the champion was able to fire his cross through the middle and touch Usyk, he mostly blocked Joshua’s right. The punch that wounded the most, though, was delivered by the Ukrainian. Once more, his left shot straight, and Joshua, alarmed, was forced to hold.

It’s simple to fall for [Usyk’s] baits and triggers, according to Coldwell. “With each shot, he won’t aim to harm you. He’ll try to throw you off balance, disrupt your rhythm, or stop you from throwing a shot as he positions you for another shot.

Round 4

Usyk, who is shorter, was hitting Joshua from outside, erasing the champion’s edge in both reach and height. Usyk, who was poised and had good mobility and balance, was veering away from Joshua’s line of sight rather than maintaining it.

Before Joshua could respond, he pedaled clear while working in the middle of the ring, countering the champion with a left hook.

Usyk rarely overstretches and overreaches, according to Coldwell. Everything is quantified. His foot placement and leading hand are everything.

Round 5

Joshua struck Usyk with his right. His left hook was shafted into the body. The Ukrainian could feel that the British man had discovered a gap under Usyk’s elbow. He would, however, rarely use it again. He did allow direct body shots to fly in the fifth round. Usyk stopped boxing and tightened his guard to protect himself from them. Joshua had to do this at that point.

But he found it challenging to keep going to the body. Joshua found it challenging to approach Usyk and take up a stance without stepping into a shot because of how proficient he was at counterpunching.

“Because of the timing of his shots and also how he times them, [Usyk] oftentimes hits harder than you would expect because your weight actually contacts the shot. Thus, the short becomes heavier “said Coldwell.

Joshua had to work hard to position himself within the proper range. With the exception of those sporadic instances when [Joshua] was in position and did attack the body, Coldwell continued, “if he’s trying to land body shots from too far out then he’s giving Usyk the opportunity to land more potent counter-punches because he’s leaning right into them.”

Round 6

Joshua was supported by Usyk’s quick straight one-two. However, the Brit began to acclimate. He slammed a cross in as Usyk came forward. Usyk had to sprint away clear after he added a second goal with his right.

It might have signaled a tipping moment. Joshua might have used the opportunity to take back the initiative. These, however, were merely single shots. Usyk was able to navigate himself through the danger, even though it was pained.

Usyk moved back into the path of that right hand, and he demonstrated that he could stop Usyk, according to Coldwell.

“Usyk would take those and then make sure he wasn’t discovered by firing another shot right away. He will take it seriously if he is discovered firing two or three shots at someone with AJ’s strength and size. But he is tough enough and has a strong enough chin to withstand those single shots.

“Usyk’s defense is so strong that it’s extremely uncommon to catch him not backing away from a shot. Even when he is caught, he is still sort of riding the shot, which lessens its impact.”

Round 7

Usyk has a talent for reversing tempo in his favor. Joshua made sure to pay him back in the following session if he had injured him in the previous round. He created opportunities to re-hit the body and the head with his varied techniques.

Joshua’s balance was upset by the right-back tip caused by a strong left. Now Joshua was frantically throwing punches, not to set up another powerful blow but rather to push Usyk away and give himself some breathing space.

“He is in that position due to his feet. Because of this, [Uysk can alter his strikes so effectively] “explained Coldwell. “Usyk makes you question yourself and casts doubt on your abilities.

“You just put yourself in that position if he wants to put you there and he knows he’s going to land when he throws his shots when you’re falling for his little triggers and his little baits,” said the speaker.

Round 8

Joshua prepared a strong right cross in Round 8. Even though it was a good shot, it was just one. He threw the backhand nicely and greeted Usyk with a lead right. He was using these singles far too frequently and failing to put punch combinations together.

“He appeared to not want to miss with his shots. Every shot had to matter, he wanted to make sure. Consequently, he was hesitant to throw it since he couldn’t read it or determine the timing, “In the first match, Joshua was described by Coldwell.

“He actually has to look at it and say, “I might miss one and two but three and four are going to land on you” if you can punch like AJ and are a terrific combo puncher.

“For the first few rounds [of the rematch], I wouldn’t be overly fixated on aiming to land on the head. I would strike him on the shoulder, the arm, the ribs, and the chest with the jab.

“Because AJ strikes with such force, if you are receiving shots to the body, they will either take your legs away, slow you down, or at the very least throw you off balance and disrupt your rhythm. It’s extremely, very challenging to deal with Usyk when he finds his rhythm.”

Round 9

Usyk had consistently been in front of Joshua in the fight, despite the fact that Joshua had won a few rounds here and there. In the ninth round, he increased the tempo to decisively defeat Joshua in the home stretch.

Usyk accelerated as Joshua slowed down. It wasn’t simply physical fatigue, either. Trying to keep up with Usyk is mentally exhausting.

“It’s more difficult to maintain and keep that concentration as the second period of the fight progresses because you’re getting very tired. Then, as your focus begins to waver, you begin to commit more errors, giving him more chances to respond, and he simply acts as a result, according to Coldwell.

It’s a combination of what he does and what he is doing, as well as the impact it has on his opponents mentally as well as physically.

Usyk continued to respond angrily to Joshua in round 10. His left hook connected cleanly. Usyk flickered out Jabs before hard driving his left cross. Joshua was being marked up by those powerful blows, but the Ukrainian had also sustained a cut.

Round 11

Usyk launched a combination in round 11 that included a left hook to Joshua’s jaw, which caused the larger fighter to reel back.

Usyk kept his position but sprinted from side to side, making it impossible to catch him let alone bull him to the ropes. A whirling hail of punches rained down, first hitting Joshua in the head and then the torso.

He doesn’t simply hang motionless on the ropes. Usyk is shifting his weight left and right while also shifting AJ’s weight left and right, so by the time Joshua adjusts his weight one way, Usyk has already become upset and moved the other way, so he won’t be able to plant his feet and unleash his punches, according to Coldwell.

They are extraordinarily challenging to defeat because they are intelligent fighters with the temperament to match.

But Usyk was assuming command. As the fight nears its conclusion, Coldwell said, “you see the effectiveness of what Usyk’s been doing for six rounds, it starts paying off, and you see the gap widen.”

The Ukrainian is one of those exceptional elite fighters who never lose their cool because they have complete faith in their strategy and in their own ability to execute it. He doesn’t mind giving up a round here and there if he believes that his early efforts in a championship fight will pay off later.

“If things turn out differently, they don’t freak out. They persist in their actions, according to Coldwell. “We don’t see it very often in fighters these days.

“You’d never see that panic button is pressed, even if they [might be] losing the round. They simply adapt to it.

“Just because you’re winning rounds against them doesn’t guarantee you’ll win the fight.”

Round 12

Usyk continued to score double left hooks to Joshua’s chin in the last round of a heavyweight championship bout. Joshua threw a right back at the Ukrainian, but he was still having trouble containing and even deterring him.

Usyk was unstoppable. With his left, he continued to rattle Joshua in preparation for a lead right hook. He launched shots at Joshua as he was pressed up against the ropes, seriously injuring the British fighter. Joshua was able to finish the fight by standing up when the final bell sounded.

Coldwell remarked, “It was horrible. “It just fell apart in those last 10, 15 seconds; he lost all sense of himself. I believe it was more a result of exhaustion and the accumulation of all that Usyk was doing there.

Usyk prevailed in the end by a resounding unanimous score of 117-112, 116-112, and 115-113.

How does this affect the rematch?

This second bout, which is slated for August 20, is shrouded in mystery. Will Joshua have enough knowledge from the first match to alter his strategy and triumph in the rematch? Joshua certainly has a lot he could do better with this second chance if the first match were taken into account.

But is it enough for Usyk to know how to defeat him? Will the first bout have boosted his confidence even more? He is a skilled fighter in his own right, so he may easily respond to any changes Joshua makes.

The 13th round of the Usyk-Joshua bout, which is the second fight, could very well be the deciding round.

According to Coldwell, the fight’s opening moments will be “extremely critical.”

Coldwell said of Joshua, “He’s got to be touching Usyk up in the first two rounds, especially round one, he’s got to be.”

Since [the way the first fight ended], a lot of time has passed. You have plenty of time to regain your mental clarity and self-assurance, he added.

“If he doesn’t start off well in the first few rounds, and Usyk then reminds him precisely who he’s in with and Usyk stings him or Usyk stops him from landing and all this, then… What happens to AJ’s thinking if none of that succeeds in the first two rounds? He might essentially collapse, at which point your hesitation would return.

“I can easily imagine that making the situation so much worse if the first two rounds, you’re having no success, you’re getting peppered, and worst still, you’re being much more proactive, you walk onto a big shot that genuinely hurts you, flashback to the first fight comes back.”

He said, though, that the opposite might occur if he succeeds in the first two rounds. The confidence of someone like AJ may really, truly grow.

Arrangements will be made on August 20.

Anthony Joshua vs Usyk Tickets

The highly anticipated heavyweight rematch between Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk will air live on Saturday, August 20, on Sky Sports Box Office. Order Usyk vs. Joshua 2 right away! Book for the Fight Here.

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