Joshua vs Usyk Preview and Betting Tip

This year was meant to be when we finally got to see Joshua v Fury. Unfortunately, legal issues robbed us of that fight but this is not a bad second prize. Joshua vs Usyk is a superb bout in its own right. It isn’t often you get two former Olympic Gold medallists facing off in the squared circle and this has the potential to be a cracking fight.

Joshua is the reigning Champ and he has bounced back well from his shock defeat to Ruiz. The bookies make the British star the odds on favourite at 4/11 and the unbeaten Ukrainian southpaw Usyk is 12/5. Will Joshua’s power and size prevail, or can Usyk’s slick skills earn him the victory? Find out what the TXMarkets team think in our big fight preview below.

Joshua vs Usyk: The Tale Of The Tape

Anthony Joshua

As you can see from the tale of the tape, there is no doubt that physically, Joshua has a massive advantage. He isn’t as musclebound as he used to be but he has a three inch height advantage, a four inch reach advantage and he will also be a much heavier man on fight night. So, this should be a pretty comfortable night for him, right? Well, on paper it looks that way but it would be very dangerous for Joshua to underestimate the threat posed by this opponent.

There are still major doubts about Joshua since his upset loss to Andy Ruiz. He looked mentally fragile that night and while he has since avenged that defeat, Ruiz was as fat as a fool for the rematch. Last time against Kubrat Pulev, Joshua did look sharp but his 40 year old opponent didn’t offer up much resistance.

This time Joshua is up against a younger, hungrier and more ambitious fighter. AJ’s upright, stiff, orthodox style may not work against a slick Southpaw boxer like Usyk and his key to winning this fight will be landing one of his big right hands. The fact he has slimmed down should ensure his stamina holds out for longer than it did vs Ruiz in their first fight, but he’ll still be trying to get Usyk out of there as quickly as possible. If Joshua wins, it will most likely be via an early knockout but that won’t be easy against Usyk.

Oleksandr Usyk

Casual boxing fans may not be familiar with Oleksandr Usyk. The Ukrainian had a stellar amateur career which climaxed with a gold medal at London 2012. He was a weight below Joshua in that tournament so their paths never crossed. Since turning pro he has amassed an 18-0 record. He obliterated the cruiserweight division before moving up to heavyweight in 2019. His first fight saw him retire Chazz Witherspoon at the end of the 7th round. However, he found things a lot tougher against Dereck Chisora in his second fight.

Chisora had a near 40lb weight advantage and he used it well. Usyk just couldn’t get into his usual rhythm and it was a very close fight. The judges gave Usyk a unanimous decision win but there would have been few arguments if it was a draw or even if Chisora had got the victory. On the back of that display, it is no surprise to see that Usyk is the underdog for this fight but he is better than he showed that night.

Usyk has been trained for this fight by Anatoly Lomachenko. We should see much better movement than we did vs Chisora and he will need to improve in that department if he is to avoid Joshua’s power punches. Given Joshua’s physical advantages, Usyk will need to get in close to land his combinations and then try to get out without taking any damage. There is no doubt that he is a better boxer than Joshua but he’ll need to be at his elusive best because it’ll only take one punch to end his night early.

Joshua vs Usyk Prediction And Betting Tip

So, as we stated earlier, Anthony Joshua has a huge advantage physically in this fight. He will be hoping that his superior height, reach, power and weight allow him to dominate but Usyk is a tricky customer and it may not be as easy as that. A relatively in-shape Andy Ruiz is probably the best ‘boxer’ that Joshua has faced so far and we saw how that fight unfolded. Joshua had similar height and reach advantages vs Ruiz to what he has for this bout and it will also be interesting to see how he handles the pressure of a packed Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Usyk is a formidable opponent. He hasn’t lost an amateur or pro fight since 2011 and he believes it is his destiny to become the Heavyweight Champion of The World. This is a dangerous match up for Joshua and he cannot afford to start slowly and let Usyk get a foothold in the fight. The Ukrainian doesn’t have the same fight ending one punch KO power that Joshua possesses but he can bang and he tends to wear his opponents punch resistance down gradually.

Usyk Can Win by Decision

So, where is my money going? Well, the bookies make a Joshua KO/TKO the most likely outcome at 11/10. However, I think Usyk has the know how to cause the Londoner lots of problems and if he takes it into the later rounds Joshua’s suspect stamina and inferior boxing skills could be exposed. As we have seen in previous fights, Joshua can be hurt, and if Usyk lands one of his left hands cleanly he has the accuracy to finish him off. However, if Usyk is going to win I think it will be most likely on points. I am happy to take odds of 4/1 about Usyk to win by decision/technical decision.

Dave Stevos’ Joshua vs Usyk Tip: Usyk by decision/technical decision @ 4/1

Kelly’s Knockout Tip

Our man Kelly Eden knows his boxing, as he showed when tipping up the draw in Wilder v Fury 1 at 40/1. His tip isn’t quite as big a price this time but it is still a tasty one at 12/1. Kelly thinks that Usyk is a huge threat. Joshua has slimmed down considerably and he believes this might be a mistake. He may not be as powerful and it won’t be as easy for him to bully the smaller man. Usyk is more than capable of weathering the early Joshua storm and Kelly thinks a late stoppage could be on the cards for the slick Ukrainian technician. He is recommending a bet on Usyk to win by KO/TKO in rounds 7-12 at 12/1.

Kelly’s Joshua vs Usyk Tip: Usyk by Ko/TKO in Rounds 7-12 @ 12/1