Former two-weight world champion turned pundit Andre Ward is tipping a win for Anthony Joshua 24-1 (22) when he defends his WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight crowns against Oleksandr Usyk 18-0 (13) at Tottenham Hotspurs Stadium in Tottenham, England on September 25 but has warned it won’t be pretty.
The 32-year-old British champion will have a sizeable height, reach and weight advantage over the former undisputed cruiserweight champion, but the 34-year-old Ukrainian southpaw has movement and agility on his side.
Ward, who retired undefeated in 2017 after winning multiple world championship belts at super middleweight and light heavyweight, admits it is a tough fight to pick a winner in.
“It’s a tough fight to call. Some days, I feel like Anthony Joshua is going to go out there and be too big, too strong, and Usyk will have moments, but they won’t be enough,” Ward said to ESPN.
“Other days, I feel like Usyk with his movement and his boxing ability, even though he’s a blown-up cruiserweight, he’s not a natural heavyweight.
“He’ll still find a way to make things frustrating for Anthony Joshua where he’s missing and he’s countering and I can see where he can out-box Joshua.”
Usyk has had just two fights at heavyweight since moving up from the 200-pound weight class in 2019 – a seventh-round stoppage of late replacement Chazz Witherspoon and a close points victory over Dereck Chisora.
Joshua has had three fights in the same timeframe. In June 2019 he was upset by Andy Ruiz Jr in New York, going down by seventh-round knockout. Six months late he regained his world title in an immediate rematch against Ruiz Jr in Saudi Arabia.
Last December Joshua knocked out IBF mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev in nine rounds in London.
While Joshua typically weighs in at around the 245-pound mark, Usyk has weighed in at an average 216-pounds for his two bouts at heavyweight. Joshua is a large, powerful man, while Usyk is small and elusive.
Ward admits it’s hard to see the two styles looking good together.
“But today, I feel like Anthony Joshua will win this fight and I feel like it’ll be in an ugly fashion,” he said.
“I don’t think there’s a pretty way for Anthony Joshua to win this fight unless Usyk gets tired, neglects defence and gets caught with a big shot.
“I see Joshua having a stylistic nightmare early in the fight and then clawing his way back into the fight and finding a way to land just enough punches and outwork Usyk just enough to win an ugly decision and maybe even a controversial decision.
“It’s a very difficult fight to call, and it’s not a forgone conclusion that Joshua is going to win. But today, I’m leaning towards Anthony Joshua.”
