Anthony Joshua vs Oleksandr Usyk: How to Buy, Price, Venue, and More

As negotiations for a mega British heavyweight showdown between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury fell apart, both fighters secured new opponents right away. Tyson Fury is now obligated to compete against Deontay Wilder on October 9. Whereas, Anthony Joshua is all set to face former undisputed cruiserweight champion Oleksandr Usyk. The WBA, IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight champion will face his next challenger on September 25 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Matchroom Boxing announced general ticket sales for the Anthony Joshua – Oleksandr Usyk mega event. Fans can now purchase tickets to the championship clash on the and StubHub website and can visit the Matchroom Boxing website for more on the same. Prices set for the mega-event at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium can vary anywhere from £100 and £2000.

In boxing history, most cruiserweight fighters have not fared well at the heavyweight division. Until now, only Evander ‘Real Deal’ Holyfield has been able to secure the heavyweight title upon moving up a weight class.

Read More: Relive Oleksandr Usyk’s Gold Medal Win at 2012 Olympic Games

This begs the question, does Oleksandr Usyk have what it takes to take on the heavyweight world champion?

Oleksandr Usyk could be in for a long night

Anthony Joshua is currently the unified heavyweight world champion with 24 clean wins (22 knockouts) and just a single loss against Andy Ruiz. On the other hand, his Ukrainian opponent is the undisputed cruiserweight division with 18 wins (13 knockouts) and no losses.

Oleksandr Usyk is 6 feet 3 inches tall and has a 78-inch arm reach. Even with one loss on his record, the Englishman is still the bigger opponent with a longer reach. Apart from obvious physical advantages, Joshua also has a better knockout rate compared to Usyk’s.

Anthony Joshua is stepping into this fight as the bigger man. The champion will use his natural traits to his advantage. Gauging and measuring distance throughout the fight could be an essential maneuver as that will enable Joshua to land jabs, while also preventing Oleksandr Usyk from striking from inside the pocket. A natural solution to this for Usyk could be to close the distance. However, this could also come with certain significant risks; Usyk moving into the pocket could create room for Joshua to clip him on the back foot.

Is this a tougher fight for Anthony Joshua?

The present-day Anthony Joshua is a greater risk to the Ukraine native. Before his second fight with Andy Ruiz, Joshua had an offense-centric approach. While his defense is still inarguably better than other heavyweights, Anthony Joshua recognized he had to step up his overall game after suffering his first defeat in 2019. In the second fight, fans saw a more agile Joshua who was clever with his striking, showed world-class movement and footwork.

These traits are rare in the heavyweight division and are primarily the reason for Anthony Joshua’s wild success in the sport. However, Oleksandr Usyk might be the only other heavyweight with similar or even better skills. While he is not a knockout artist by nature, Usyk knows how to outpoint his opponents with ease.

His former opponent Tony Bellew has acknowledged that the Ukrainian is “vicious and brilliant” and is a hard nut to crack inside the ring. He shared that apart from just being a smart striker, he also likes to pressure his opponents. Bellew pointed out that he takes his time to assess and then defuse the other corner’s approach. He cited an example of Usyk putting his left foot in front of Tony Bellew’s lead leg to divert his attention.

Considering the backgrounds and forms of both fighters, who do you think wins on September 25?

Also Read: Leaked Details From Tyson Fury’s Training Camp Suggest ‘The Gypsy King’ Lied About His Health Condition