"Go for the knockout" - Anthony Joshua reveals his gameplan for Oleksandr Usyk rematch
Anthony Joshua is looking for a decisive knockout in his second fight with Oleksandr Usyk.
'AJ' and 'The Cat' first squared off in September 2021 in a heavyweight thriller. Despite Usyk being the underdog as the smaller man, he easily outpointed Joshua in his home country. The Ukrainian wound up winning the fight via unanimous decision.
Since that bout, Joshua has gone into the lab and gotten quiet about his training. Following the loss, he decided to leave his longtime trainer Rob McCraken for new coach Angel Fernandez. With the new coaching staff comes a new gameplan for his rematch with Usyk.
While the first fight didn't see Joshua swinging for the fences, he plans to do so in the rematch. The comments were first reported by talkSPORT's Michael Benson. According to the boxing journalist, Joshua noted that he's going to be searching for the finish this time around.
"I thought I could compete with him as a boxer. I think he won two more rounds than I did. That's how he became champion. So the goal now is to go back to basics and go for the knockout."
Anthony Joshua on the Oleksandr Usyk rematch: "I thought I could compete with him as a boxer. I think he won two more rounds than I did. That's how he became champion. So the goal now is to go back to basics and go for the knockout."
Anthony Joshua discusses possibility of boxing Tyson Fury
In addition to discussing his plans for the rematch with Oleksandr Usyk, Anthony Joshua has revealed his thoughts on Tyson Fury's supposed retirement.
'The Gypsy King' is coming off a knockout win over Dillian Whyte last month. Both prior to the bout and after the victory, Fury said that he was going to retire. The comments earned a lot of skepticism from the boxing community, as even the Brit's own father said he doubts the decision.
As reported by talkSPORT's Michael Benson, Joshua revealed that he doesn't think that Fury is done inside of the ring. The former two-time Heavyweight Champion seems to believe that the WBC Heavyweight Titleholder can be coaxed back by the right fight.
Discussing a possible showdown with Tyson Fury, the 32-year-old said:
"If Tyson Fury was to come out of retirement and honour the gentleman's agreement, there's a lot of money to be made… I feel he's still ticking over and he'll come back if the right fight is presented to him."
Anthony Joshua: "If Tyson Fury was to come out of retirement and honour the gentleman's agreement, there's a lot of money to be made… I feel he's still ticking over and he'll come back if the right fight is presented to him."