Joshua vs Usyk Preview and Predictions

It promises to be a blockbuster evening on Saturday as over 60,000 descend on London to witness Anthony Joshua defend his WBA, IBF and WBO world heavyweight titles against WBO mandatory challenger Oleksandr Usyk and we have some Joshua vs Usyk betting tips for the long-awaited bout.

Fight night information

When is it? September 25th

What time will it start? Ring walk at around 22:00

Where is it? Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Which channel is it on? Sky Sports Box Office

The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will host a boxing event for the first time as the two London 2012 gold medallists square off with three versions of the world heavyweight title on the line.

Victory for Joshua on Saturday night would pave the way for a unification shootout with the winner of Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder’s October 9th clash for all the belts in boxing’s most recognisable division.  

First though, Joshua must navigate safe passage through what could be the toughest 12 rounds of his career as he faces off against the decorated Ukrainian, Usyk.  

Joshua took his record to 24-1 with the knockout of Kubrat Pulev last December and fans will be hoping this clash between two Olympic gold medallists will be as exciting as the last time Joshua took on a Ukrainian, when ending the great Wladimir Klitschko’s career with an 11th-round stoppage.  

🚀 LIFT OFF FOR AJ 🚀

If @anthonyjoshua's fight at @SpursOfficial on Saturday night is anything like this one, we are in for a treat 🎇

Book Joshua vs Usyk, live on Sky Sports Box Office on September 25 👉https://t.co/nSgrSD8TxW#JoshuaUsyk pic.twitter.com/rG76Q2Jn9y

— Sky Sports Boxing (@SkySportsBoxing) September 20, 2021

His opponent Usyk announced himself to the UK audience when successfully defending his unified cruiserweight world titles by stopping Tony Bellew in eight in their Manchester Arena showdown.  

After that a move up to the blue-riband division was inevitable and he now attempts to emulate the exploits of David Haye and Evander Holyfield by succeeding in the land of the giants.  

His last outing was when outpointing Derek Chisora in a pay-per-view brawl at London’s SSE Arena.  

That fight could provide the blueprint for this weekend’s contest as Usyk struggled to deal with Chisora’s size advantage and ruggedness in the early stages, before his superior footwork saw ‘Del Boy’ chasing shadows in the second half of the fight.  

With questions remaining about the Ukrainian’s punch resistance and his ability to trouble the top heavyweights with his power, it will be intriguing to see if ‘AJ’ is able to use his physical advantages to keep Usyk at bay.  

As skilful a boxer as they come, Usyk will be hoping to use his elusiveness to evade Joshua’s power, especially in the early exchanges.  

Also, Joshua often requires a few rounds to warm to the task at hand and knowing he could be in for a long night; we could be in for a cagey opening as both men look to preserve petrol for the championship rounds.  

🧠 "Usyk's very good but I just focus on myself!" – @anthonyjoshua talks to @DarrenBarker82 & @ChrisLloydTV 👊#JoshuaUsyk pic.twitter.com/a8TPcCe8g7

— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) September 21, 2021

However, one underrated asset of Joshua’s game is his own footwork and the big man is fancied to eventually catch the fleet of foot Ukrainian as the bout develops.  

Joshua can get to grips with his opponent from around the halfway point and we fancy the British superstar to take control and hunt for the stoppage in rounds 7-9 as the first of our Joshua vs Usyk betting tips.

For extra security, and in case Joshua gets to his man early, the second of our Joshua vs Usyk betting tips is for the Watford warrior to win via TK,TKO, or Disqualification and record his 23rd victory inside the distance.