Usyk looks to upset Joshua

Anthony Joshua v Oleksandr Usyk

WBA (Super), IBF, WBO and IBO Heavyweight World Championship

25 September 2021

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London

Oleksandr Usyk will pose a genuine threat to WBA (Super), IBF, WBO and IBO Heavyweight World Champion Anthony Joshua when the pair meet at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Saturday 25 September 2021.

That’s according to the Ukrainian’s former sparring partner Mikael Lawal, who has warned Joshua (21-1, 22 KO) that the unbeaten Usyk (18-0, 13 KO) can be “like a ghost” but will also enjoy “going to war” as he aims to shake up the established order in the heavyweight division.

Lawal sparred with Usyk ahead of a cruiserweight unification clash with Mairis Briedis in 2018. “They got in contact with my manager, I think they must have heard of me somehow,” said Lawal. “I kept quite a bit of an eye on him. This guy is going to be a problem, that’s the first thing I said. I used to make little jokes – this guy is like a ghost!”

He added, “Just like, ‘I’ll use him to warm down,’ kind of thing. I think after me and him sparred – I gave it to him a little bit, then the second time he put me in second. Obviously he thought he would get warmed up with the first guy, then me and him will go to war. That’s how he kept it after that. We just sparred and he loved it. That’s why he called me back again.”

Usyk collected all the world titles at cruiserweight before stepping up a division to enforce a WBO mandatory title fight against Joshua.

‘The Cat’ is a match for Joshua in terms of height, but has slightly less reach than the British champion:198cm to 208cm. Nonetheless, his speed and quick reflexes will make him an unusual opponent, and one more than capable of scoring a major upset.

Anthony Joshua

Nickname: AJ

Nationality: British

Age: 31

Record: 24-1 (22 KO)

Height: 198cm

Reach: 208cm

Stance: Orthodox

– WBA (Super), IBF, WBO and IBO Heavyweight World Champion

– 2012 Olympic Games, Gold Medal winner, Super-heavyweight

Oleksandr Usyk

Nickname: The Cat

Nationality: Ukrainian

Age: 34

Record: 18-0 (13 KO)

Height: 191cm

Reach: 198cm

Stance: Southpaw

– 2012 Olympic Games, Gold Medal winner, Heavyweight

– WBO mandatory challenger