Oleksandr Usyk ‘uncertainty’ vs Anthony Joshua addressed by WBA in lengthy statement

Anthony Joshua ‘desperate’ to win Oleksandr Usyk rematch

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The World Boxing Association (WBA) sanctioning body has released a statement regarding the recent weight gain of Oleksandr Usyk ahead of his August 20 showdown with Anthony Joshua and has raised that it “airs a lot of uncertainty about what will happen” when they fight. Usyk appears to have packed on the muscle ahead of the second fight and it was recently revealed by former world champion Amir Khan who joined him in camp on Tuesday that the Ukrainian had gained 15kg since his last fight with ‘AJ’.

In a press release obtained by World Boxing News, the WBA addressed these developments, saying: “Usyk is in the final part of his preparation for another showdown against Anthony Joshua.

“The Ukrainian will defend his World Boxing Association (WBA) heavyweight super championship and the IBF and WBO belts against the Briton on August 20 in Saudi Arabia in a great battle of strategies.

“Before stepping into the ring, there has been much speculation about the changes Joshua could bring since he lost their last fight. Allegedly, he is the one who needs to correct things the most. However, Usyk is not a fighter who settles and continually seeks to improve and surprise in each of his fights.

“Although he has not revealed too many details, there have been several photos and videos of the champion in which he is shown quite strong during his training. For this reason, many specialists wonder if he will move up to the heaviest weight of his career this time.

“Usyk is a “small” heavyweight, having recently moved up from cruiserweight. In his previous fight against Joshua, he weighed 221.2 pounds. This was the heaviest weight of his career. But he was at a disadvantage against the 240 pounds his opponent scored.

“Although it worked for him to take the victory, it seems that he could increase the weight a little more this time. This would give a different perspective to the fight and airs a lot of uncertainty about what will happen [possible knockout]. The champion never settles and is never predictable. So his strategy will also play an important role even before stepping into the ring.”

Both men square off later this month at the King Abdullah Sport City Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for the WBA (super), IBF, and WBO heavyweight world titles. In their last encounter, Joshua was comfortably outpointed by Usyk as he dropped the titles on home soil at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.  

Now, in a new setting, the pair do battle live on Sky Sports PPV. Featured on the undercard is an IBF heavyweight final eliminator bout between Filip Hrgovic and Zhang Zhilei to determine the next challenger to the winner of the main event. While elsewhere on the bill, Callum Smith, Ramla Ali and Badou Jack all feature.

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