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Anthony Joshua has opened up about the pressure he faces against Oleksander Usyk in their rematch. ‘AJ’ lost the first fight to Usyk, and will enter the rematch as a betting underdog.
Joshua said:
“100% I feel the pressure, it would be silly of me to deny it and say that I don’t. 100% I feel the pressure, but it’s good, it’s good pressure. I want to thrive under pressure, pressure makes diamonds.”
Watch the interview here:
Following the loss to Oleksandr Usyk, Joshua’s boxing ability was criticized. Joshua possesses a four-inch reach advantage and a three-inch height advantage on the former Undisputed Cruiserweight Champion. The British champion was, however, unable to use those physical advantages in the first fight, and was outboxed by the Ukrainian.
Following the defeat, Joshua has instilled the help of a new training team. Robert Garcia, who has had many world championship-winning fighters in the past, has linked up with ‘AJ’. Garcia has already insisted that they will take advantage of Joshua’s physical strengths and utilize those to win the rematch.
Garcia also believes that Joshua possesses tremendous punch power and has all the tools to win the rematch.
A new approach may be just what Anthony Joshua needs as the gameplan employed in the first fight was unsuccessful. Joshua has since stated that he fought the wrong fight the first-time round and will be a different fighter come August 20.
Anthony Joshua has successfully overturned defeat once before
On June 1 2019, Joshua suffered a shock defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr. Joshua entered the bout as a massive favorite as he was the undefeated, unified WBA, WBO, IBO and IBF World Heavyweight Champion.
Ruiz was a late-notice replacement opponent as original opponent Jarrell ‘Big Baby’ Miller tested positive for multiple banned substances. The fight was ‘AJ’s US debut and he looked to establish himself as a star in the biggest boxing market.
Joshua and Ruiz would trade knockdowns in the fight, with Ruiz eventually stopping Joshua in the seventh round. Joshua called for an immediate rematch and got his wish in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia.
The rematch was completely different from the first fight. A new Anthony Joshua emerged, who would stand tall and use his jab and movement.
Andy Ruiz Jr. was in poor shape for the rematch. The Mexican had gained an enormous amount of weight. Ruiz and his trainer Manny Robles both criticized his preparation following the loss. In his next fight, Ruiz weighed almost 30lbs less than against Joshua.
Now, Anthony Joshua has the opportunity to once again avenge a loss in Saudi Arabia. Usyk appears to be in much better shape than Ruiz was for the rematch, and is considered to be a more skilled fighter. Joshua has a much bigger task to overcome to become a three-time world heavyweight champion.
