Watch: Mic'd up video shows Anthony Joshua and Eddie Hearn trying to get into Oleksandr Usyk's head
Anthony Joshua and Eddie Hearn tried to play mind games with Oleksandr Usyk during the final face-off between the fighters.
Joshua is set to face Usyk tonight at the Jeddah Superdome in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The rematch has been a long time coming, ever since 'AJ' lost his belts in the first fight back in September last year.
The Brit is generally held to be a gentleman in the sport. This time around, however, it seems as though he is trying to get into Usyk's head and gain a tactical advantage before the fight even begins. During the face-off, 'AJ' said to the Ukrainian:
"How's your body shot, in sparring, stay strong."
The former two-time Unified Heavyweight world champion repeated the phrase again when Usyk seemed to ignore him.
"Stay strong, stay strong."
After their face-off as the pair began walking away, Eddie Hearn could be heard saying:
"Time to take him to f***ing hell."
Anthony Joshua is looking to exact revenge on 'The Cat' the way he did in his rematch against Andy Ruiz Jr.
The last time the pair fought, Joshua, at times, seemed to be fighting for survival. He had a hard time finding answers to Usyk's pure skill and durability.
'The Cat' completely took over in the dying moments which saw Joshua leaning on the ropes for support to survive Usyk's onslaught. Usyk won comfortably via unanimous decision.
Take a look at the video:
@MatchroomBoxing Does AJ know something we donβt? π
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#AnthonyJoshua #AJ #UsykJoshua2 #Usyk https://t.co/90pyGXhEHw
Robert Garcia says Anthony Joshua is looking for the knockout against Oleksandr Usyk
Robert Garcia revealed Anthony Joshua's gameplan against Oleksandr Usyk. The Brit will not try to outpoint 'The Cat' this time, instead, he'll look to knock him out.
Following his loss to Usyk in September last year, 'AJ' decided to bring in a new head coach, Robert Garcia, to help him get his aggression and mentality back.
A former IBF Super Featherweight Champion, Garcia had 25 knockouts in his boxing career. He made his mark as a coach as well- working with the likes of Marcos Maidana and Brandon Rios. He was the Ring Magazine's trainer of the year for several years in the early 2010s.
In an interview with Sky Sports Boxing, Garcia spoke about Joshua's gameplan:
"But, does he have the power, does he have the strength, has Usyk been dropped before? Yes. Does he like body shots? Probably not, coz he's been dropped a few times with body shots. So, can he knock him out? I think so, and that's what we're going for and I think Anthony knows it himself and myself and Angel Fernandes we're gonna push him to go for the knockout." [sic]
With just a few hours remaining until the fight goes down, it will be interesting to see whether Joshua's new tactics will help him overcome the Ukrainian. The Unified Heavyweight World titles and the future of the heavyweight division are on the line tonight at the Jeddah Superdome.
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The eyes, menacing. https://t.co/aBrh0r3HST
Watch the interview below: