win or go home
no.Not so for Anthony Joshua in Saturday’s fight against Oleksandr Usyk that serious.
Win or lose relevance?
That sounds about right.
Here again with Joshua, he must return to Saudi Arabia to face adversity and win against opponents who have been defeated by him. Sound familiar? it should. In 2019, Joshua was in Riyadh to face Andy Ruiz in the Saudi capital. Joshua came out victorious that night by boxing out the solid Lewis to regain the heavyweight title.
This time, his task in Jeddah is much more difficult.
In one corner was Usyk, a 35-year-old Ukrainian and former cruiserweight champion.incontrovertible Cruiserweight Champion — beat Joshua around the ring in his third fight at heavyweight last September. Whereas Lewis spent the months after upsetting Joshua spoiling Usyk’s victory tour was much more solemn. joined. He left in his March and began his camp of grueling four months of training. He kept in touch with his friends on the front lines, inspired by their battles. He was muscular (“He looks like a cyborg,” Usyk promoter Alexander Krassyuk said). He arranged for the broadcast rights to be split from worldwide sales so that people in his country could watch the fight for free.
Joshua attends the expected heavyweight bout on Saturday with a warning sign.
Hassan Amar/AP Photo
Usyk may be the most motivated athlete on the planet when the Ukrainian national anthem is played on Saturday.
Then we have Joshua. For weeks I’ve been hearing about Joshua’s motivation. Team AJ’s newest member, Robert Garcia, is enthusiastic about Joshua’s side. Joshua’s longtime promoter Eddie Hahn noted the new flame he’s seen in his star. “He’s training harder than ever. This fight is about personal pride.”
“I made a mistake last time,” said Joshua. “I’ll fix it properly this time.”
Swell. But the warning signs are there. After the loss to Usyk, Joshua fired his longtime trainer Rob McCracken. He initially promoted Angel Fernandez, who has been his assistant since 2019. He then added Garcia, a widely respected US-based trainer who had never worked with a heavyweight. It is still unknown who will be the lead voice in Fight Night.
It’s important. Garcia has spoken out about his chemistry with Fernandez. “We’ve agreed on how Anthony needs to fight,” Garcia said. is an attacking coach. With a thin resume as a head trainer, Fernandez has a Cuban coaching background. During battle, it’s entirely possible that their advice on adjustments will differ.
But it’s not just Joshua’s training. That’s his way of thinking. Joshua’s team has made no secret of its strategy. “We all know what Anthony needs to do to win,” Garcia said. Last time Joshua tried to send his Usyk. Now you have to engage him. “Educated pressure,” Hahn says, and Joshua has to apply a lot of it to physically dominate.
“People don’t think he can do that,” Garcia said. “that’s right.”
Usyk (left) is looking to derail Joshua again in a high-stakes rematch of last September’s match.
Hassan Amar/AP Photo
Physically, maybe. Mentally? Probably 5 years ago. Joshua back then was a fearless brawler. He faced Dillian White and defeated then-undefeated Dominic Breazeal. A lot has changed since then. A physical fight with Wladimir Klitschko took something away from AJ. Joshua has tools for manipulating Usyk. “I’m 100 percent sure Anthony can knock him out,” Garcia said. Whether he still has the will to do it is another story.
Joshua scoffed at the suggestion that he might retire after losing. At 32, Joshua is young enough to rebuild. He leaves the ring on Saturday with his win-or-lose global rights deal with DAZN. A win would likely lead to a showdown with Tyson Fury, while a loss could mean a still-marketable fight with White, Joe Joyce, or Deontay Wilder. may still be on the table.
but joshua needs this. “Legacy” is what I was talking about on the phone when I asked Hahn this week. For years, Joshua seemed on his way to becoming boxing’s next great big man. He won gold, retired Klitschko, and unified the three pieces of the heavyweight crown . Victory will get him back on track. The loss would be Joshua’s third loss in his last five games and could knock him out for good.
It’s a lot of pressure. Joshua has been here before. He faced the skeptics and quieted them down. He stared down at his opponent who had just beaten him. He lost titles and regained them. Three years after his career-defining moment with Lewis, Joshua faces another moment.
“I wanted to send [Usyk] “In the first fight,” Joshua told Sky Sports this week. “Now I want to beat him…my competitive spirit overcomes all obstacles.”
We’ll find out on Saturday.
MORE BOXING COVERAGE: