Oleksandr Usyk vs Anthony Joshua, the day has come for the rematch suspended due to the war

There are still those who believe that boxing is a sport in which the most striking always wins. Strength is only one of the abilities that come into play in combat. One of these is mental integrity. And perhaps it will be one of the decisive ones in the struggle in which the Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk will exhibit the heavyweight division titles of the World Boxing Association, the International Boxing Federation and the World Boxing Organization against the British Antonio Giosuè this Saturday in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia). The evening can be seen through the DAZN platform from 2pm, but the stellar duel will begin around 6:40 pm.

Nobody but the protagonists knows what will go through their minds when they step on the ring mounted on Jeddah Superdomea luxurious place with capacity for 35,000 spectators built in just 10 months, it was inaugurated in June last year and then entered the Guinness Book of Records for being the building with the largest continuous roof geodesic dome in the world. Both have had dark days since they first faced each other on September 25 last year.

That day, in front of 66,267 spectators at Tottenham StadiumUsyk, a man accustomed to the role as a guest and who had already been the undisputed champion of cruising weights, winning all four titles in the backyard of his rivals, imposed speed and mobility against a gray version of Joshua, coming out victorious thanks to a unanimous decision that did not fully reflect his superiority in the ensogado (cards marked 115-113, 116-112 and 117-112) and He kept the three belts that will be disputed this Saturday.

That defeat, the second in a professional career that also includes 24 victories (22 before the limit), has woven a blanket of doubts about the sporting virtues of AJabout his emotional strength and even his future in boxing. Several predicted the end of his career, as they did after the surprise setback against Andy Ruiz in June 2019. That time, he recomposed himself in the rematch against the Mexican six months later and regained the headlines. Now he will have a new opportunity to equalize, albeit against a much more capable rival than Ruiz.

Despite the questions, the 32-year-old boxer born in Watford said he never thought about throwing in the towel. “Right after (the fight with Usyk), in the locker room, I knew I was going to fight again,” he said last week in an interview published in the Daily Mail. I told everyone: “Come on, what the fuck. We are warriors. We have lost a battle, but not the war. The battle continues’. I have to keep that mindset for the rest of my life. Even if I stumble in private or in public. “Therefore, two weeks after the first duel, his team has imposed the automatic rematch clause that the contract provided.

If Joshua has had to live these months with the questions and their ghosts, Usyk had to do it with shootings, bombings and the fear generated by having war in the house. A few hours after the start of military actions by Russian troops, on February 24, the champion joined the Kyiv territorial defense battalion. He stayed there for a month until he received special permission from the government of Volodymyr Zelensky to leave the country. When he did, his house in Vorzel, on the outskirts of the capital, was occupied and then destroyed.

During that month on Ukrainian territory, the Olympic champion in the heavyweight category in London 2012 (in those Games, Joshua was crowned among the super heavyweight) lost five kilos. “But when I started preparing for this fight, I quickly gained weight and my team did a great job building my body. I feel incredibly fit and strong”, He assured in an interview with The Guardian. Beyond the physical recovery, the main doubt revolves around how his head will have processed the situations that he, his family and his friends have been through since the beginning of the war.

Alexander Krassyuk, the promoter who manages the monarch’s career, has tried to reassure those who harbor that doubt. “When we saw the videos on the training ground, we realized he looked like a cyborg. He’s been through hell for the past few months and that didn’t kill him, it just made him stronger. He has never been more determined than now. There aren’t many champions in the world who can face a war and step into the ring to defend their crown. “

What can be expected from this revenge?

In the eyes of the now challenger (who registered 110.9 kilos at Friday’s weight), a very different duel from London, in which he will try to impose his size, reach and take advantage. “(In the first fight) My goal wasn’t to hurt him, but to show that I could box as well as he was, but I didn’t prepare enough for a 12-round fight at that pace. This time I want to hurt him, “explained the British.

For this change in strategy, Joshua, who has been training in Saudi Arabia for more than a month, He also chose to become the boss of his team: He separated from Rob McCracken, the coach who took him to Olympic gold and then accompanied him in his professional career, and collaborated with the prestigious Californian Robert García, who has worked with more than a dozen champions of the world, including Marcos Maidana and Jesus Cuellar.

Instead Usyk (Friday weighed 100.4 kilos), strategist, holder of excellent footwork and refined boxinghe will try to repeat the formula that allowed him to end up with his arm raised on English soil: constantly hammering with the jab, walking in the ring and making the most of his speed, his technique and his left-handed condition, a factor that is always been a pain head for Joshua.

“He learned from me, I learned from him. But I don’t think everything will be different. The first fight will continue in rounds 13, 14 and 15. We have had enough time to study each other. This Saturday is going to be a big, big fight“, Predicted the undefeated Ukrainian (he won his 19 hired fights, 13 before the limit) during Wednesday’s press conference, where there were no outbursts, insults or pushes, but rather respectful exchanges between two professional athletes. elite.

Although contenders these days, they will collect bags of $ 60 millionthey have been extremely talkative, both carefully avoiding answering questions relating to the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia, one of the United States’ main allies in the Middle East, now used to bringing major sporting events to its territory as part of its policy.

The second fight for a heavy world title in Saudi soil (Joshua beat Andy Ruiz in Diriyah in December 2019) will be played 11 days after the 34-year sentence by the Specialized Criminal Appeals Court of that country. salma al-Shehab for posting women’s rights messages on Twitter and retweeting posts from Saudi dissidents in exile.

The 34-year-old woman, who was doing a doctorate in oral health in Leeds (England) and was arrested in January 2021 while spending a holiday in her country with her family, was accused of “destabilizing the security of society and the stability of the state “,” spread sedition “and” provide assistance to those who seek to disrupt public order. “According to the Gulf Center for Human Rights, it is “The harshest sentence a peaceful activist has received” In Saudi Arabia.

On the way to the undisputed kingdom

The winner of the fight between Usyk and Joshua will be one step away from the undisputed heavyweight championshipsomething no fighter has achieved since 1988, when the World Boxing Organization, the youngest of the four governing bodies, began sanctioning fights for the ecumenical title.

The fourth belt, that of the World Boxing Council, still belongs to the British Tyson Fury. although the King of the Gypsies announced his retirement on April 23, minutes after taking out Dillian Whyte at Wembley, and ratified him last Friday, right on his 34th birthday, he has not yet given up his scepter. “I have 12 months to do it. I will keep it as long as possible. I’ll keep it in my back pocket as long as I want, “she said in June.

On Monday, the Council announced that it had been “in communication with Tyson Fury and his promoters regarding his heavyweight champion status” and set a deadline of Friday, August 26 to receive written confirmation on the future of the Englishman. If there is no answer, the title will surely remain vacant.

For now, a comparison between Andy Ruiz and the Cuban Luis Ortiz which is a tie approved by the Mexico-based body, so the winner would then have to face the monarch. But if Fury gives up the crown or is stripped, that fight could end up consecrating the new champion.

In any case, many do not trust the withdrawal of the British. “I think he will return to the sport, especially if Anthony Joshua wins (Saturday). Who knows, maybe we will see him reappear for the undisputed heavyweight championship, ”excited Eddie Hearn, CEO of Matchroom Boxing (the company that organizes the evening in Jeddah) and manager of Joshua.