Bob Arum Claims Oleksandr Usyk Has a Solid Chance to Upset Anthony Joshua in His Next Fight

The ongoing turmoil in the heavyweight unification ride has urged Oleksandr Usyk to slide in and get his first shot at the heavyweight gold against Anthony Joshua. While Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder are reportedly scheduled for one last meeting in July, Joshua seems to defend his WBO strap against Usyk in August.

Hence, the winners will collide in a massive unification bout. Although Joshua appears to be the favorite over Usyk, Bob Arum has given fair chances to the Ukrainian boxer in winning the bout. In a chat with IFL TV, the 89-year-promoter has shed light on several issues. Meanwhile, he has also previewed an outcome to the Usyk vs Joshua showdown.

“I think Joshua has his hands full with Usyk that’s a really good fight I give Usyk a hell of a chance to upset Joshua in that fight. Hopefully, he doesn’t. Hopefully, Tyson comes through and we can do this unification fight,” said Bob Arum.

However, this isn’t the first time where Arum has demeaned Anthony Joshua’s ability. Prior to the champion’s fight against Kubrat Pulev in December, Arum predicted ‘The Cobra’ to vanquish ‘AJ’. But Joshua ruled out those statements and KOed Pulev to defend his titles in fashion.

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Although Oleksandr ‘The Cat’ Usyk is still undefeated, Anthony Joshua can rightly be the first man to defeat him. He has been on a tear in the heavyweight division and a former cruiserweight champion might not endanger his legacy.

Anthony Joshua vs Oleksandr Usyk- More details

Usyk’s latest win came against Dereck Chisora, which was a close-contest. The cruiserweight elite had to fight his way through the contest and had to claim the win via decision. Hence, many had found loopholes in his game, especially for the heavyweight division.

That said, Anthony Joshua can offer a lot more action than Chisora. He has attained a record of 24-1 so far, claiming 22 wins via KO, and is already  2x heavyweight world champion. Hence, Arum’s criticism doesn’t seem to affect him. While he eyes a unification battle ahead, a successful title defense against Usyk would be Joshua’s primary goal.

Do you think Anthony Joshua will easily defeat Oleksandr Usyk?

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