Anish Parekh previews the Anthony Joshua vs Oleksandr Usyk heavyweight title clash
'The Boxing Fan Man' Anish Parekh writes: There was a collective groan when after a year of negotiations, the much-anticipated undisputed clash between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury fell through at the 11th hour, due to an arbitration ruling that ‘The Gypsy King’ was obligated to grant former WBC champion, Deontay Wilder a trilogy fight.
Boxing fans have been force-fed shit sandwiches ever since, with big fights falling through, failed drugs tests, and the loud and obnoxious circus that is celebrity/YouTube/exhibition boxing. 2021 has so far felt like one big disappointment for the sport.
However, like a boxer on the ropes, seemingly on the cusp of defeat, the sport has thrown a proverbial lunging haymaker in the shape of Anthony Joshua vs Oleksandr Usyk to keep itself going.
Whilst Joshua-Fury has a vast appeal, particularly here in the UK, can the winner be addressed as the undisputed best of their generation when a fighter of Usyk’s calibre has not been afforded his warranted opportunity to test that claim?
Usyk is an Olympic gold medalist and undisputed cruiserweight champion. If those credentials don’t speak for themselves, then the story of those achievements will. After snatching his first cruiserweight title in Poland against Krzysztof Glowacki, in just his 10th professional outing, he went on to retain and unify the belts as the away fighter.
If you’re still not impressed by where he won his fights, you will be by who he beat and how he beat them. He stopped cruiserweight mainstay Marco Huck, outfought current unified champion Mairis Breidis, outclassed the hard-hitting Murat Gassiev, and blasted out the ‘Bomber’ Tony Bellew. Although he is often summarized as a boxer with balletic movement and mesmerizing skills, he knows how to mix things up and cannot be accused of being one-dimensional.
There have been questions about his size and ability to absorb a heavyweight blow, however, his adeptness to slip, ride, block, and side-step attacks, make him an elusive target for his opponents. On the rare occasions that he fails to avoid punishment like against Dereck Chisora or during his WBS contest against Joe Joyce, his chin was reliably sturdy, and his mind remains clear enough to compose himself and continue systematically dissecting his adversaries.
Although the Ukraine possesses pugilistic prowess and pedigree, some are overlooking the strides made by the unified heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshua.
There were major doubts about AJ’s heart and chin following his upset loss to Andy Ruiz, but his reaction to that defeat and adjustments made to his style since then deserve credit. The British behemoth has always been blessed with an imposing physique to intimidate challengers long before he unleashes his first bludgeoning blow. Perhaps no longer believing in his own invincibility, he has now added some craft to his violence.
Whilst still an Adonis like figure, Joshua has become leaner, no longer lumbering his pumped-up muscles around the ring in pursuit of his prey. It’s unshackled him to maneuver around the ring with greater ease to either evade or setup attacks.
AJ’s jab has also developed into a multi-faceted asset, whether that be as a rangefinder or as a weapon, it is something he possesses to keep his opponents guessing – and fearful. He’s also calmer when under attack, resisting the urge for the red mist to descend whenever hurt and instead opting to clinch or back-pedal in an effort to minimize any shift in momentum.
This isn’t Joshua-Fury, but this fight is good, very good. And the winner has the opportunity to march into an undisputed fight with greater acclaim and credibility that enhances the significance and anticipation the four-belt unification matchup.
It is exactly what we have been crying out for – two boxers in their prime, with unique styles and attributes that could meld together in numerous ways, resulting in a variety of outcomes.
It makes this one tough to predict – but impossible to miss!
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