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Oleksandr Usyk v Anthony Joshua II Boxing Betting Odds, Tips & Predictions
Oleksandr Usyk will make the first defence of his WBA (Super), IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight titles against former champion Anthony Joshua at the Jeddah Super Dome in Saudi Arabia this summer.
The Ukrainian fighter outclassed the Brit with a unanimous points decision victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium back in September 2021.
Usyk is a former cruiserweight champion and has only had three fights in the heavyweight division, and he has already taken that world by storm.
His first heavyweight fight saw him defeat Chazz Wetherspoon with the American retiring in the seventh round. He then put in a less than impressive performance to beat Derek Chisora on points at The SSE Arena.
Many critics doubted whether Usyk could match up to Joshua after the Chisora fight, but the Ukrainian upped his game and dominated an out-of-sorts Joshua. There was only one winner from the opening bell and thankfully, the judges agreed as he got the nod 117-112, 116-112 and 115-113.
I watched the fight live and I knew from the ring walks that Usyk would win. He looked focused and had a determined look, while Joshua was laughing and joking and taking selfies with the crowd. He didn’t look focused and Usyk took full advantage.
I expect a different Joshua to get on the plane to Saudi Arabia. He has teamed up with American Robert Garcia as his trainer and they will be hoping to pair up and avenge Joshua’s second defeat as a professional.
Usyk has won all of his 19 professional fights with 13 by knockout and six by decision. I am backing Usyk to claim win number 20 by stopping Joshua late on. I just feel he will be more relentless than in the first fight and he will eventually wear the former champ down. Back Usyk to end this contest in the 11th round.
