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Heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk isn’t shying away from pushing his limits. The southpaw boxer went orthodox in his latest public workout after Anthony Joshua said that he would have 'smoked' Usyk if the Ukrainian wasn't a left-handed boxer.
Joshua lopsidedly lost to Oleksandr Usyk at Wembley and surrendered his heavyweight titles in what became his second career defeat in 2021. Usyk, now a two-weight undefeated champion, will defend the belts in a rematch on August 20.
Here’s a look at Usyk’s southpaw boxing stance:
At 19-0 as a professional, Usyk shares a deep history with his upcoming opponent, Anthony Joshua. They both won gold medals at the 2012 Olympics in the heavyweight (Usyk) and Super Heavyweight ('AJ') categories. Meanwhile, Usyk seems to have surpassed Joshua on the professional stage.
Usyk has been an undisputed champion in the cruiserweight division and holds most of the heavyweight titles at the moment. However, Anthony Joshua believes that he can turn the tables. Ahead of the rematch, he reflected on Oleksandr Usyk's southpaw stance and said:
"I need adjustments to deal with a southpaw, because, to me, these lefties are a nightmare. I swear, if Oleksandr wasn't a lefty, I would have smoked him. 100%."
Usyk's orthodox stint, however, was just a message for Joshua. The Briton will have to face a left-handed Usyk in the fight and it will be an entertaining affair to watch them collide.
How to watch Anthony Joshua vs Oleksandr Usyk 2 live - Full fight card
The Matchroom event will take place at the Jeddah Superdome Arena in Saudi Arabia. Very limited tickets are still available online as the arena is likely to be sold out. The event will be streamed live on DAZN across 190 countries. Usyk has purchased the rights to telecast the event for free in his home country of Ukraine.
Meanwhile, elite fighters like Badou Jack and Callum Smith are also locked into their respective fights. Here’s a look at the full card.
Oleksandr Usyk (c) vs. Anthony Joshua WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight titles
Filip Hrgovic vs. Zhilei Zhang, heavyweights
Callum Smith vs. Mathieu Bauderlique, light heavyweights
Badou Jack vs. Richard Rivera, cruiserweights
Ziyad Almaayouf vs. Jose Alatorre, super lightweights
Ramla Ali vs. Crystal Garcia Nova, women's super bantamweights
Andrew Tabiti vs. James Wilson, heavyweights
Ben Whittaker vs. Petar Nosic, light heavyweights
Daniel Lapin vs. Jozef Jurko, light heavyweights
Bader Al Samreen vs. Faud Taverdi, super lightweights
