Brit/Ire Anthony Joshua (WBA, IBF, WBO & IBO) vs. Oleksandr Usyk

[wesshaw1985]

 

[Grant]

AJ decision. Theres no way they'd give it Usyk.

 

[IvanDrago]

AJ will stop him surely. The size difference...

 

[wesshaw1985]

I think Uysk could be too quick and too slick for a lumbering Joshua.
Uysk takes it on points for me...

 

[TheBoxingMadMan]

Uysk via decision. Joshua's lines are too straight and easily countered.

 

[ant-man]

I went Usyk by stoppage. Too much horsepower (is it wishful thinking?).

Be a hella fun fight if it happens.

 

[Mexi-Box]

Fight to make right now. I say Usyk wins this one. Joshua was having trouble landing on Parker who is half the fighter Usyk is.

 

[indie_uk1]

Good big un beats a good little un. Admittedly Usyk is a very good cruiser but the BIG heavyweights are something else

 

[SimonTemplar]

Can't see Usyk keeping AJ off for 12 rounds. AJ was down pretty hard against Wlad and got up to hit him back so I don't see Usyk landing enough in a cluster to get a stoppage. So AJ late stoppage for me.

 

[dkos]

I'd also go with AJ to get the win late on.

 

[Nifty.Tech]

Usyk will school the fuck out of AJ give him a proper boxing lesson.

 

[Strike]

AJ will stop him surely. The size difference...

I could see that being the case, but it's worth remembering that the guys AJ has looked least impressive against are probably Takan, Parker and Povetkin (until the stoppage). Povetkin is 6ft 2" with a 75" reach. Parker is 6ft 4" with a 76" reach. Takam is 6ft 1.5" with an 80.5" reach.

Usyk is 6ft 3" with a 78" reach, so he is taller with a longer reach than Povetkin, only 1" shorter than Parker with a 2" longer reach, and he's taller than Takam with a 2.5" shorter reach.

It's not the gulf in size people are imagining between Usyk and many of the other competitive heavies. He will make AJ miss and look limited, but he has a big disadvantage in reach that he will need to negate. Someone like Povetkin was pressing and jumping in to land hooks with real heavy level power. Usyk likes to box and is not a banger...that's harder to do with a big reach disadvantage.

It's a fascinating fight though. Usyk can win it, but he better have a very good chin, because at some point he is going to get tagged and if AJ is struggling he will probably throw caution to the wind and try to rush him with high volume and pressure. Usyk is not slipping everything and despite his skills he can sometimes be a bit upright too. He slips more through judgement of distance and footwork than he does upper body movement, and it was the latter which AJ found difficult to negate with some of the smaller guys.

 

[Michael]

Said it before and ill say it again, Usyk is well able to take heavyweight power.

 

[sosolid4u09]

too often we think the bigger guy will simply knock out the smaller guy.
Joshua is not gonna knock Usyk out unless he catches him clean several times, or hits him with a picture perfect punch.

 

[Strike]

Said it before and ill say it again, Usyk is well able to take heavyweight power.

Agreed, but there is heavyweight power and then there's heavyweight power that took out Johnson in 2 rounds, sparked Whyte, sparked Povetkin etc. Usyk fought nobody as an amateur that hits like AJ or Wilder. That said, I don't see him getting iced with one shot off AJ either, and I think he is clearly able to handle general heavyweight power, plus he will be the most mobile fighter in the division.

 

[Michael]

Agreed, but there is heavyweight power and then there's heavyweight power that took out Johnson in 2 rounds, sparked Whyte, sparked Povetkin etc. Usyk fought nobody as an amateur that hits like AJ or Wilder. That said, I don't see him getting iced with one shot off AJ either, and I think he is clearly able to handle general heavyweight power, plus he will be the most mobile fighter in the division.

Im going to sound like a broken record here....but Medzhidov hit as hard as Joshua IMO. Joyce has be relatively close enough to Joshua in power to right?

 

[Strike]

Im going to sound like a broken record here....but Medzhidov hit as hard as Joshua IMO. Joyce has be relatively close enough to Joshua in power to right?

Joyce is not on the same planet IMO, and Joshua is a much bigger puncher now than as an amateur.

 

[Michael]

Joyce is not on the same planet IMO, and Joshua is a much bigger puncher now than as an amateur.

Think you're over rating Joshuas power a little bit here. I dont think it'll cause Usyk nearly the bother people think it will. Joshua size and dimensions will be tricky though.

 

[Mexi-Box]

I don't think Joshua's size will be tricky. I think it'll just be the power. I can't see anyone outboxing Usyk. I think the only way Joshua will win is if he lands that picture-perfect shot.

I mean who is the only one that made Usyk look human? Briedis (the version that fought Usyk) was a fucking monster himself at the time. The bigger, less athletic Gassiev barely touched Usyk.

 

[Strike]

Think you're over rating Joshuas power a little bit here. I dont think it'll cause Usyk nearly the bother people think it will. Joshua size and dimensions will be tricky though.

I don't think his power is insane, but I think a guy who wrecks Povetkin, sparks Whyte and does Johnson in the speed he did is clearly a big puncher. Joyce? Not really no. He wins by accumulation and I've never seen him scramble someone of decent level with one shot.