Joshua, of course, has been here before. After Andy Ruiz, Jr. stunned the British fighter – and the world – to strip him of his unified WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight titles at Madison Square Garden in June 2019, the pair met again 6 months later in Saudi Arabia for Round 2. Ruiz had only lost once before then, but it came as no surprise when he succumbed to a dominant performance from Joshua in their rematch and lost via unanimous decision.
Usyk is a different beast, however. The Ukrainian – who holds an unbeaten 19-0 record – made his name in the cruiserweight division, where he showed his considerable pedigree by becoming the undisputed world champion in 2018, having amassed the WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, WBO, and The Ring magazine belts. In doing so, he became the first boxer in this weight class to hold all 4 major world titles.
After defending his titles against Tony Bellew, the 35-year-old successfully stepped up to heavyweight with victories over Chazz Witherspoon and Derek Chisora, the latter victory earning him the WBO inter-continental strap. Despite his disadvantages in size and power, when he faced Joshua in September 2021 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, he outclassed the defending champ with his agility – he is nicknamed “The Cat,” after all – stamina, and control.
“AJ” is no stranger to big fights, having defeated the likes of Wladimir Klitschko, Joseph Parker, Alexander Povetkin, and Kubrat Pulev over the course of his impressive career. Speaking in a press conference ahead of the rematch, Joshua said he wants to get back to the strategy that earned him such wins.
“One of my strengths was my power but I always wanted to go down that path of being a clean boxer,” he said. “‘Hit and not get hit,’ especially if I want to have a long and successful career. You need to have good defence but I moved away from the ferocious side of boxing where I knew I could hit and stun people.”
Usyk hinted at changing up his approach, too. “I do understand that he's going to be different,” he said. “So will I.”
It all makes for a fascinating rematch, one that could be make or break for Joshua as he looks to regain his champion status. It will take place at the new Jeddah Superdome, which opened last year.
To find out more information about this event and save it to your interests so you can be notified when tickets go on sale, click here.
