By Sam Volz: Adam Smith of Sky Sports believes Anthony Joshua will be back on top if he defeats Oleksandr Usyk in their rematch on August 20th.
That’s a big ask for Joshua (24-2, 22 KOs) to win the fight, but even if he does, will he really be back? There are still a number of dangerous heavyweights out there that could expose Joshua’s flaws in his game.
Joshua has a new trainer Robert Garcia who is teaching him to be more aggressive against Usyk (19-0, 13 KOs) in hopes that will be enough for him to get the win. But will it? It might lead to Joshua losing by a knockout because it’s going to put him in danger of being clipped by Usyk.
If Joshua does win, it will do a lot to turn his career around temporarily. I don’t know if it would be a permanent thing.
“Most people thought AJ would be too big and too strong for Usyk, and he was a huge favorite in that fight [last September]. Now the tables are turned, and he’s the underdog,” said Adam Smith of Sky Sports to Pro Boxing Fans about Anthony Joshua being up against it in facing the betting favorite Oleksandr Usyk in the rematch.
“For the first time in his career, he’ll [Joshua] be the underdog going into it,” Adam continued about Joshua facing the betting favorite Usyk in their rematch on August 20th.
“There are more questions to be answered in this fight than there was last time. So in my eyes, it’s a much bigger fight. It’s THE night of AJ’s career. He had Wladimir Klitschko in front of 90,000 at Wembley, maybe it doesn’t get any better.
“He went out to the desert and wrote the wrong against Andy Ruiz [in December 2019 in Saudi Arabia], and he’s thrilled us in defeat a couple of times. But this is important; this is career-defining.
“If he’s to lose this and lose it badly, people are going to say, ‘Well, you became a two-time champion, but what’s left for Anthony Joshua?’ If he wins this, he’s back. The Tyson Fury fight, maybe even a third Usyk fight. It would be incredible.
“He’s so competitive. He will do everything he can to try and turn the tables. The price point, of course, people are going to mention that. I always say the same thing, ‘It’s your choice. If you want to pay for a Box Office event, you can. If you don’t you don’t,” said Smith.
