Oleksandr Usyk in phenomenal shape ahead of rematch against Anthony Joshua
On August 20, Oleksandr Usyk will make the first defense of his WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO heavyweight world titles against the man whom he won them from last year.
Due to the size difference in the first encounter, many felt that the then-heavyweight champion would be too big for the Ukrainian on the night. However, Usyk proved all his doubters wrong as he dominated the heavier man throughout the clash.
Despite being the clear winner at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on September 25, the former cruiserweight left the ring with some marks on his face. Anthony Joshua didn't catch the fast-moving Ukrainian a lot of times, but when he did, Usyk seemingly felt it.
That was perhaps because Joshua was much bigger than his opponent and remains one of the division's biggest punchers. With that in mind, the new heavyweight titleholder looks to have gained more weight for the rematch to help him uphold the heavy punches from 'AJ'.
Oleksandr Usyk recently released a video clip of himself training on social media and he is looking much bigger than he's been before.
"On the way! #UsykJoshua2 #SaudiArabia"
Watch Usyk's training video here:
On the way!#UsykJoshua2 #SaudiArabia https://t.co/YvRY2Qcf62
Will Oleksandr Usyk be aiming for a knockout against Anthony Joshua?
In the build-up to the exciting rematch, there's been a lot of talk suggesting that Joshua will be massively changing his strategy having struggled to outbox the highly-skilled Ukrainian in the first bout.
'AJ' appears to have gained more muscle mass while he's in training camp, perhaps with the goal being to favor strength and power for a knockout win.
Due to Joshua's bulk, many have assumed that Usyk will retain the gameplan that worked in the first matchup, but he too may make some changes. The Ukrainian has clearly gained more weight ahead of the second meeting, which could be the result of a desire to hunt down a KO of his own.
Watch Joshua vs. Usyk 1 here: