After 12 rounds that saw Oleksandr Usyk skillfully outbox Anthony Joshua in September 2021, the two will meet once again for three of the four major heavyweight titles on Saturday in Saudi Arabia.
The rematch (DAZN, main event expected at 5:30 p.m. ET), has the potential to be a truly different fight. Joshua and Usyk have that time spent in the ring, but Joshua’s bringing a new trainer in Robert Garcia into the fold could make it a more technical fight this time around.
Usyk (19-0, 13 KOs) won the first fight by the scores of 117-112, 116-112 and 115-113, but it wasn’t really that close. He dominated the outside and pressured Joshua when he needed to land his left hand. Joshua (24-2, 22 KOs) landed some power shots of his own, but not enough to create problems for Usyk.
With a potential megafight against Tyson Fury for all four heavyweight titles possible, the stakes are high.
Former two-division champion and current ESPN boxing analyst Timothy Bradley Jr. breaks down the heavyweight title fight. ESPN betting analyst Ian Parker also provides his best bet.
Source: www.espn.com