It might not be an unquestionable title battle between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury, but it is one of the best battles possible in heavyweight.
Unified heavyweight champion Antony Joshua will try and keep the deal on track by defending his WBA (Super), IBF, and WBO heavyweight titles at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England, against the former undisputed Cruiserweight Champion Oleksandr Usyk.
It seemed that this year, until Deontay Wilder won his arbitration hearing to get a third fight against Fury, Joshua and Fury went into the blockbuster showdown. That threw a monkey into the plans to finally decide who would be the world’s best heavyweight. Instead of waiting, Joshua chose to fight the WBO top rival, Usyk, in a dangerous way.
Usyk (18-0, 13 KOs) took the lead in the four-group after a successful cruiserweight campaign, where he was the first undisputed cruiserweight champion. And it took only Chaz Witherspoon and Derek Chicora to secure Usyk’s place as Joshua’s first heavyweight WBO champion.
Joshua (24-1, 22 KOs) bounced back from his impressive knockout loss to Ruiz in December 2019 and had his revenge unanimously before going home with his stop at Pulev to complete things in the distance. Is he going to remain a champion and fight WBC champion Fury or is Usyk going to ruin the plans?
Sporting news gives you some insight into how to bet on Joshua-Usyk
Odds Anthony Joshua vs Oleksandr Usyk
- Joshua Anthony: -310
- +225 Oleksandr Usyk:
- Picture: +2300
According to FanDuel odds, Joshua is the favorite at -310, meaning it takes $310 for a profit of $100. Usyk is currently +225 underdog, so the former champion would have a net $100 wager of $225.
Joshua Anthony vs. Oleksandr Usyk prop bets
- By (T)KO: +115 Joshua
- By decision of Joshua: +230
- Usyk through (T)KO: +750
- Usyk through decisions: +370
The prediction of Anthony Joshua vs. Oleksandr Usyk
Anyone who thinks it’s a huge step down for Joshua doesn’t look at enough boxing. Besides being one of only a few undisputed champions, Usyk is a pristine boxing Olympic gold medalist. This is Usyk’s third heavyweight fight after he has crossed the cruiserweight division, and the champion has by far been his toughest test.
It’s rare that you’re fighting between world champions and Olympic gold medalists, which is the challenge both fighters face.
The odds are slightly broader than expected, particularly as Joshua lost to Andy Ruiz, who was shorter and lacked Usyk’s reach. Of course, Usyk is moving up a mass class and faces a heavy-handed champion with a 3-inch height and 5-inch advantage, but Usyk’s ability to box should have brought closer odds.
But the problem is that the two struggles of Usyk as a heavyweight yielded underwriting results. In his heavy weight debut in 2019, he dominated the shop written Chaz Witherspoon and looked slightly less than stellar against Derek Chicora last October. And although Usyk is taller than Ruiz, he has no power to give Joshua a lot of trouble.
And when these two squares are off, that will be the biggest factor. Can Usyk withstand the strength of Joshua, who has an impressive 92 percent knockout-to-win, find a way of making this a true technical fight and doing enough to win the win?
Joshua has proven his ability to gain the boxing game if necessary, as demonstrated in the match with Ruiz when he kept him all night long at the end of his jab. And he certainly didn’t leave power and he showed it in December with his brutal 9th-round knockoff of Kubrat Pulev. Joshua takes a lot of work to get inside and the unified champion knows what needs to be done to win.
Usyk is an incredible fighter, but Ukrainian people are unlikely to overcome the size disparity and lack of experience as a heavyweight.
In the end, Joshua will eventually find his booming right hand to put Usyk in serious trouble before he finishes the job late.
