"Raw ability wasn't enough"- Anthony Joshua opens up on his training for Oleksandr Usyk rematch
Anthony Joshua plans to follow a specific gameplan for the first time against Oleksandr Usyk in their rematch.
'AJ' and 'The Cat' clashed for the first time back in September 2021. Despite entering the U.K. as a big underdog, Usyk left as the heavyweight champion after outclassing Joshua on his home soil. Following the fight, the Brit activated his rematch clause.
However, the rematch has been postponed on several occasions due to a variety of issues. On Joshua's end, he recently underwent a trainer change, while Usyk was briefly enrolled in the Ukrainian military. However, he was granted leave from the armed forces to train for the rematch.
Joshua believes that a change in training camp was something that he needed. As reported by TalkSport's Michael Benson, 'AJ' stated that a change in trainer was important because he was previously coasting on his athleticism. For the Usyk rematch, Joshua plans to employ an actual gameplan.
Discussing the rematch with Usyk, Joshua stated:
"This is the first time in my career I'd say we are specifically working to a game plan. I've based a lot of my success on raw ability… Raw ability wasn't enough, so now I'm gonna try out this game plan training and see how it goes."
See Michael Benson's tweet about Joshua/Usyk below:
Anthony Joshua on the Oleksandr Usyk rematch: "This is the first time in my career I'd say we are specifically working to a game plan. I've based a lot of my success on raw ability… Raw ability wasn't enough, so now I'm gonna try out this game plan training and see how it goes."
When will Anthony Joshua fight Oleksandr Usyk again?
After many postponements, it seems that the long-awaited rematch between Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk is nearly official.
The bout between the two has had several targeted dates, but has been continually pushed back. Joshua was first questioned going ahead with the rematch, and nearly accepted stepaside money from Tyson Fury's camp to allow 'The Gyspy King' to fight Usyk.
Eventually, 'AJ' decided to go ahead with the rematch. However, not too long later, Usyk enrolled in the Ukrainian armed forces due to the Russian invasion. As a result, Joshua and Matchroom Boxing began examining other possible opponents for the former heavyweight champion.
Discussions of a possible interim fight for Joshua were then taken off the table after Usyk was granted clearance to leave Ukraine to train for the rematch. Eddie Hearn recently stated that the targeted date for the fight is July 23rd, but that's yet to be made official.
At long last, fans might get to see Joshua and Usyk do battle soon.