"I think Anthony Joshua stops Oleksandr Usyk inside nine rounds" - Eddie Hearn confident ahead of heavyweight rematch
Anthony Joshua vs. Oleksandr Usyk 2 will take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on August 20. The Ukrainian will be defending the WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO World Titles for the first time since winning them from his opponent last year.
Joshua will be taking on the second rematch of his career in the Middle East, where he'll aim to replicate the same outcome as his rematch against Andy Ruiz Jr. in 2019.
The Brit's long-serving promoter Eddie Hearn has never shied away from expressing his confidence in his fighter. The Matchroom Boxing promoter shared his predictions on The DAZN Boxing Show:
“I think Anthony Joshua stops Oleksandr Usyk inside nine rounds on August 20th. That’s not a popular opinion, but it’s my opinion belief in seeing the work that he’s been doing with Robert Garcia.”
The heavyweight acquired the services of the highly-experienced Robert Garcia in December after the Brit parted ways with Rob McCracken.
The plan looks to be a knockout strategy based on the bulk up in Joshua's physique. The Ukrainian proved to be far superior when it came to boxing skills and finesse during the first encounter but 'AJ' still holds devastating power.
Watch Hearn's full interview here:
How likely is it that Anthony Joshua will beat Oleksandr Usyk via knockout?
With the matchup still a while away, not every bookmaker has released their betting odds yet. However, according to Box.Live, Usyk is still the stand-out favorite.
The Ukrainian is the most likely winner, with 4/9 (-227) odds in his favor, giving him a 67% chance of winning. Meanwhile, a win for Joshua holds odds of 9/5 (+179), which gives him a 33% chance of victory.
However, due to the Brit's impressive hard-hitting knockout power, he holds a much more significant percentage of winning by knockout. 'AJ' has a 92% chance of finishing his opponent, while Usyk has a 68% chance. This puts the odds at 11/4 (+275) for Joshua to secure a win before the bell and the Ukrainian odds of 5/2 (+250).
Ultimately, Oleksandr Usyk totally dominated his counterpart in the first matchup, which is the clear substance as to why he's the massive favorite. If Joshua wants to upset the odds, his most likely method of success will be through a knockout.