The Usky-Joshua II agenda
Previewing this weekend's pivotal heavyweight redux, plus thoughts on recent boxing happenings
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First off, I have to apologise - it’s been longer than planned since the last edition. In that time, boxing has continued to amaze, fascinate, flabbergast and enrage at regular intervals, as seems to be constantly the case in this most unique of sports.
This edition will be a two-parter; there is a return to regular service next with an in-depth look at the career of one of my all-time favourite middleweights, ‘Irish’ Andy Lee, and how difficult it can be for boxing’s hot prospects to recover from their first major setback. In the meantime, however, we’re back with a preview of Usyk-Joshua II - or *cough* the Rage on the Read Sea - along with musings on some of the recent boxing news agenda…
THE NEXT ROUND
Previewing this weekend’s fascinating boxing calendar highlight at the top of the sport’s glamour division…
20th August 2022
Oleksandr Usyk vs Anthony Joshua II
Promoter: Matchroom/K2 Promotions | TV: Sky Sports Box Office (UK); DAZN (US)
I am absolutely fascinated by this fight but, until recently, it’s seemed like I might be in the minority. Up until the week of this huge unified heavyweight title rematch, the buzz or hype has felt entirely lacklustre from where I’m sitting. UK TV was announced really late, being confirmed as Sky pay-per-view just three weeks in advance after, confusingly, DAZN had not long revealed that AJ had signed a long-term exclusive worldwide broadcast deal with them. DAZN does have the rights in the US - as one of more than 190 territories in which they will be showing the fight, on non-pay-per-view - but that was established just a week out, all of which has made this feel like less of a major event than it is.
Of course, Matchroom selling off total rights (including broadcast) to Saudi Arabia is a move littered with nuance, and one which both seems to belittle their major business partner DAZN whilst simultaneously leaving much of the decision-making out of their hands. The whole thing doesn’t exactly do the perception of DAZN’s market power much good. After making such a song and dance that Joshua’s future was on the streaming platform, even in the UK, this pivotal fight in his career is back on his old broadcaster Sky in his home market.
There is also the unspoken reality of such a big show being handed over lock, stock and barrel to the Saudi regime at a time when sportswashing is a hot button issue…this is boxing though and, sadly, such debates are nothing remotely new, with major events are given to the highest bidder without much concern for the longer-term damage to the reputation of the sport. I guess though the fact that both fighters alone are reported to be making $40 million (plus pay-per-view kickbacks) demonstrates just why this is happening. We are where we are, money talks, and the Rage on the Red Sea will go down at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah rather than a stadium in the UK.
Anyway, on to the fight itself. So much has happened since last September at Tottenham Hotspur’s new stadium when, if we’re brutally honest, Usyk somewhat outclassed Joshua to take ownership of the WBO, WBA (Super) and IBF heavyweight belts on a unanimous and richly deserved points decision.
Usyk performed brilliantly on such a major stage, proving that his elite boxing brain and outstanding ability would carry with him up to the top level of the heavyweights and reaffirming his status as one of the truly elite boxers of the modern era. It was a humbling night for AJ, as his bizarre tactics of attempting to outbox the master boxer managed to both hide almost all of his positive attributes and accentuate the majority of his flaws. The constant shouts of “brilliant AJ” from his corner lended an element of farce to the whole thing. Despite being soundly beaten, however, it’s also true that Joshua did work his way back in to the fight in the middle rounds, even if Usyk clearly dominated both the start and end of the fight. AJ was absolutely hanging on in the final round as well, so his Ukrainian opponent will be keenly aware that he can hurt Joshua if and when he steps up his output.
Over the last year, both men’s situations have changed in radically different ways.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has taken Usyk from heavyweight champion to civilian soldier, as he watches vast parts of his homeland being recklessly destroyed in harrowing circumstances. He and his people have seen (and continue to suffer through) unspeakable tragedies, which far eclipse anything Usyk has seen in his boxing career, and which has to have had an impact on his psyche. His team have managed to organise the fight being streamed live for free in Ukraine on his YouTube channel, and he will clearly have the support and expectation of a suffering nation behind him. How this will all impact the champion on the night is a fascinating unknown.
Usyk has been detailing how this fight is about more than just world title belts to him, given recent events in his homeland…
“It’s very important for me…people need to watch this, at this tough moment…they shouldn’t spend money on watching my fight but putting spirits up is something that Ukrainian people need now. The money that they could spend on purchasing the broadcast they can spend on helping other people. This (fighting for the people of Ukraine) is a huge motivation for myself. For my people, for my family, for my kids, for everyone, because things can inspire people, they are giving an additional incentive to fight and to be strong.”
Joshua, on the other hand, has parted ways with Rob McCracken, the man who has guided his in-ring career from novice amateur to two-time world champion, hooking up instead with the excellent Robert Garcia after a soul-searching tour of America’s elite boxing gyms. Garcia is legit for sure, a top tier trainer, but Joshua is his first heavyweight project and you’d imagine a tune-up fight before taking on such a fearsome task here might have been ideal for everyone in the team. It hasn’t happened, however, with an immediate rematch clause triggered by Joshua, and Garcia has still exuded supreme confidence that the task at hand is achievable, as he stated recently…
“He’s (Anthony Joshua is) way bigger. He’s got a reach advantage, he’s got a height advantage, weight advantage, and he’s got tremendous power. He’s got crazy power. So he’s pretty much got everything in advantage. The only thing might be his head — he’s got to be a little bit more positive about himself. I think he’s got a lot of advantages. Just go out there and take whatever it takes: height, power, strength, reach. Whatever it takes, I think that’s what he needs to do.”
So, can AJ beat Usyk the second time around? The prevailing opinion I’ve seen appears to be no, the Ukrainian hero proving himself in the heaviest division is all the evidence needed to show that Joshua has no chance of avenging the defeat and reclaiming the belts.
While I would certainly lean considerably towards an Usyk victory again here, there are undoubtedly corrections Joshua can make to give him the best possible opportunity of revenge. Showing far less respect, using his advantage in size and weight, being more aggressive at the opportune moment and countering more effectively will surely be part of new trainer Garcia’s gameplan. Just being more hostile alone won’t cut it though, Joshua would need to suffocate Usyk and effectively engage (something he did very little of last time out) whilst also staying out of range of what might come back in return - no mean feat, but not impossible.
The question, though, is whether anything AJ does or doesn’t do on the night will make a difference or whether, as sometimes happens at the elite level, Usyk just has his number. Usyk himself will be more used to the heavyweight division and should have another gear to go up, with indicators in his preparation that he is coming in heavier and with the intention of achieving the stoppage. More of an all-out firefight under the circumstances this time round seems almost guaranteed.
The winner will claim not only the WBO, WBA (Super) and IBF heavyweight belts, but also the Ring Magazine title, after the latter was vacated by the perpetually retiring Tyson Fury just last week. Whether Fury is legitimately retiring this time - he is yet to give up the WBC title, with the sanctioning body giving him until the week after Usyk-Joshua II to make a final decision on that - or will in fact return for a winner-take-all showdown with Saturday night’s victor, the prospect of becoming the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis remains a tantalising carrot for both Usyk and AJ.
Following a year in which he and his country have dealt with far more important issues than a boxing match, and with an expectant nation ready to celebrate its boxing hero, Usyk might be looking to pull off something special against one of boxing’s few legitimate superstars, whilst AJ will be absolutely desperate to prove his many doubters wrong. Putting the strange build-up aside, it is fascinatingly poised.
There is enough on the undercard to maintain interest as well. Filip Hrgović finally gets his meaningful heavyweight fight in the chief support, meeting Zhilei Zhang in a final eliminator for the IBF heavyweight title, after seemingly exhausting most other notable names in the division. Kudos to Zhang for taking the fight, it’s a big opportunity for both men and should make for an all-action showdown between two undefeated contenders, but I lean towards the Croatian Hrgović to demonstrate his superior schooling in picking up what will be the biggest win of his pro career.
Callum Smith, in just his second fight at light heavyweight since last year’s systematic beating at the hands of Canelo Alvarez, takes on Mathieu Bauderlique in another eliminator, this one for a shot at the WBC’s 175-pound’s title. Smith should be a clear favourite here, but with Bauderlique being a 2016 Olympic bronze medallist coming in to easily the most important fight of his pro career - after spending what was probably too long facing obscure opposition at regional level - this still has the ingredients for a fairly engaging scrap, even if it’s difficult to justify this as a final eliminator for one of Artur Beterbiev’s belt.
There’s even a small slice of social progress on the show, with featherweights Ramla Ali and Crystal Nova contesting the first professional women’s fight on a Saudi Arabian show. Although, given that a female Leeds University student was sentenced to 34 years in the kingdom just this week for for critical social media posts, it’s difficult to feel even slightly positive about the progress of equality and fairness in the country.
From a purely boxing perspective though, it’s a pretty engaging supporting cast overall. In this day and age of boxing undercards, we can’t expect too much more than that. This one, however, is really all about the main event. It’s a must see in my book.
THE BOXING AGENDA
Thoughts on the recent boxing newswire…
There are a LOT of boxing pay-per-view events coming up. Though our US-based boxing aficionados have dealt with this for decades, it seems like the UK is starting to play catch up when it comes to putting anything even slightly resembling a major fight behind a paywall - although we have still got some way to go to matching the extortionate prices being charged in the American market.
Don’t get me wrong, some of the fights announced are really interesting. I mean, Conor Benn vs Chris Eubank Jr. on October 8th (DAZN PPV)? Sure, part of me has my misgivings around a hot prospect welterweight stepping up to face a legitimate middleweight, when both have numerous potential fights of interest in their regular weight divisions and with neither having really proved themselves at world level. The logical part of me, however, understands that boxing is a business first and foremost and Benn-Eubank III (which it kind of is, I guess) is a fight with the potential to draw in huge amounts of interest amongst a casual audience at a time when boxing cannot really claim to be a mainstream sport. Based on the initial press conference, the build-up should be iconic and by the time fight night comes around there could be a real considerable momentum behind the event, something which DAZN would probably admit they need right now.
With that said, starting this weekend with Usyk-Joshua II there will have been five UK pay-per-view events in six weeks by the time Eubank and Benn enter the ring - with Gennady Golovkin vs Canelo Alvarez III (DAZN PPV), Joe Joyce against Joseph Parker (BT Sport Box Office) and, yes, KSI in his second pro boxing fight (DAZN PPV) all behind a paywall. Clearly, KSI will be aiming for a different audience, but that is still asking a lot in a short period, especially given the current economic climate.
There also has to be a question mark around why DAZN - which has made such a song and dance about their arrival being the ‘death’ of the pay-per-view model in boxing - now seems to put any major fight behind an additional paywall, after not delivering a huge amount of must-see boxing events as part of their regular subscription service in recent months, especially from their UK events. DAZN EVP Joe Markowski was also very clear about articulating that Canelo-GGG III wouldn’t be on pay-per-view in the UK not so long ago, which makes the company’s decision to go all-in on PPV an even bigger PR own goal. This 2019 promo has certainly not aged very well…
I guess it could still be worse for British fans; spare a thought for those American fans who are likely to have to shell out $70 or more twice just for the pleasure of watching Andy Ruiz-Luis Ortiz and Deontay Wilder’s return against Robert Helenius over the next couple of months. It’s a slippery slope though, and increasingly boxing (which is a niche sport already) is creating a cultural ghetto for itself when any fight which might hook in new fans is put behind a prohibitively expensive blocker.
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To the untrained eye, boxing must often seem so bizarre. Even if you follow the sport, so much currently would make little sense if you really take the time to unpick it.
Celebrity boxing seems to be everywhere, and many of the power players within the legitimate side of the sport are cultivating its growth. WBC President and boxing self-saboteur Mauricio Sulaimán made it clear that he was prepared to rank Jake Paul, who is yet to even fighter a proper boxer, in his body’s rankings if he defeated Hasim Rahman Jr. in their proposed early August clash. Totally shameless stuff. Sadly, Jake’s fight with Rahman (who is a genuine 12-1 pro boxer and the son of the former world champion who both conquered and was vanquished by Lennox Lewis in the early 2000s) at MSG on August 6th was canned just a week out due to all sorts of shenanigans related to Rahman’s contracted weight. Still though, the fact that Sulaimán was prepared to rank Paul in the cruiserweight division makes a bit of a mockery of their decision making process and boxing as a whole; if Paul was to hit the top 15 WBC fighters in that weight class, he would have legitimately been able to fight for their world title. Maybe we have that to look forward to after Paul’s next fight. When those in power show such wanton disregard for the sport that they have some significant power over, what hope does it really have?
Boxing - there truly is, thankfully, no other sport like it.
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Even if it has far less of a long-term impact on the elite level pro scene than the Olympics (though in the current circumstances we can do little more than hope that the sport of boxing remains on the Olympic agenda past Paris 2024), the Commonwealth Games boxing event is always an entertaining yard stick on a number of supremely talented individuals who have bags of upward trajectory potential. Punch Perfect Boxing delivered an excellent summation of this year’s event in Birmingham for a more detailed analysis, but one fighter who was an undoubted standout for me was that of England’s fantastically-named super heavyweight Delicious Orie. Present within the Team GB system for some time now, Orie showed flashes of what he could potentially become in the pro ranks one day as he fought his way towards taking the gold medal over India's Sagar Ahlawat in a thrilling final to conclude the boxing event.
Who knows what he can truly achieve in the sport, given that he didn’t take up boxing until he was 18 and the fact that there are so many potential pitfalls ahead - that very much remains to be seen. In boxing though, especially at heavyweight, a fighter can go further than most predict as being possible with a combination of heart and charisma, both of which Orie demonstrated in spades as he navigated his way through the tournament. The next Olympics is in just two years in Paris, so will be scheduled with just an hour’s time difference from the UK, meaning that Orie has the potential to exploit the biggest UK Olympic boxing platform of any fighter since Anthony Joshua if and when he moves forward to compete at the next Games. If he is successful, he could become a considerable star on these shores.
He’s certainly not lacking for belief, as he has been explaining recently, with professional heavyweight domination his long-term goal…
“The sky is the only limit. My inspiration has always been Anthony Joshua. That’s the bare minimum. Anything is possible.”
Nothing wrong with dreaming big. It should be a very fun ride at the very least.
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Going back to the announcement of Benn vs Eubank, which has been given the excellent moniker of Born Rivals, the news made me think back to comments Chris Jr. made a couple of years back when asked for his thoughts on Conor, presenting a totally different perspective as their rivalry escalates…
“I respect anyone who steps in the ring to put their health on the line but especially someone who knows what it's like to be constantly compared to a father who was a world champion…It is tough. It is a huge burden, a huge pressure and there are very few people who could handle it. I dealt with it and Conor is dealing with it. I respect that.”
I have no doubt the pre-fight hype will be wild, and the fight itself may end up being incredibly vicious, bringing back vivid memories of the brutal wars their fathers contested in the 1990s. When it’s all said and done, however, I also expect them to have a considerable admiration for each other, even if becoming friends might prove a step too far.