Fury's 'bodybuilder' jibes caused Joshua to choose the wrong tactics against Usyk
The dust continues to settle on what was a completely unexpected outcome when Anthony Joshua was beaten by Oleksandr Usyk over 12 rounds at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, as judges awarded the unanimous decision victory to the Ukrainian. Inevitably, the 32-year-old from Watford has been pondering what went wrong, trying to evaluate what he might have done differently.
Now there has been an astonishing revelation by Anothony Joshua admits Tyson Fury was central to his tactical rethink ahead of the fight with Usyk, which ultimately cost him the bout and his titles. Joshua has admitted that being labeled as a “big stiff bodybuilder” changed his mindset, made him determined to alter his approach and that proved costly.
“There was always this stigma that I could not box, that I was this big stiff bodybuilder. So I said cool, let me practice my boxing,” suggested Joshua, disclosing just how much the comments by Fury had affected his mindset. “I tried practicing my boxing with Usyk and it didn’t work,” he lamented, eager to get dates organised for a rematch against Usyk this year, along with the opportunity to get his titles back.
Calculating the odds
Heading into a year that is going to feature some unmissable bouts, particularly in the most popular weight division in boxing, we could witness titanic struggles amongst the best heavyweights in the business. This will inevitably whet our appetites to back those we favour to win, although just like the fighters and their trainers, it always pays to do some homework beforehand.
While the odds are often weighted by past results, there is always the potential for surprise outcomes and we only need to look at Joshua as a prime example. He was heavily tipped to beat Andy Ruiz Jr. ahead of the stunning defeat in June 2019, before getting his titles back in the December 2020 rematch that went the distance. Joshua was also backed to get the job done against Usyk last September, although that bout also took an unexpected twist.
For this reason and regardless of the hype surrounding any fights, it always makes good sense to browse trustworthy reviews for the best boxing betting sites, then compares which offer the most appealing odds and offers at any given time. Likewise, along with looking out for those which boast the greatest reputation and history, the strongest boxing bookies will provide plenty of in-depth coverage and betting markets.
Chances of getting the Battle of Britain?
Although nothing has been made official yet, Joshua vs Usyk 2 is one of boxing’s biggest fights in 2022 providing their camps can agree on a venue and purse split. Even more importantly, Joshua now finds himself at a crossroads in his career, aside from having lost the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight titles. Winning a rematch against Usyk would be his road to redemption and even more appealing, the chance to cross paths with Fury at long last.
This was always the plan, with British boxing fans clamouring for a fight they have been waiting to see for years. However, despite advanced negotiations which produced a provisional date and venue in 2021, Fury was forced to face Deontay Wilder again in the trilogy bout he eventually won. Had the outcome for Joshua been different against Usyk, we might already be talking about this elusive ‘Battle of Britain’ bout sometime before the summer of 2022.
First and foremost, the WBA has ordered Fury to put his belt on the line against Dillian Whyte, which does bring us the prospect of one all-British heavyweight title bout in 2022, which is expected to be arranged before the end of March. Assuming that Fury can deal with Whyte and Joshua can win his titles back against Usyk, there’s the genuine prospect of the blockbuster we’ve all been waiting for and potentially, before the end of 2022.