Former British and Commonwealth heavyweight champion David Price doesn’t believe Anthony Joshua can get his revenge in his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk.
The Ukrainian, who is currently training in Poland after leaving the fight against Russian aggression, will defend the WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight titles this summer. Joshua loses his belt
last September when Usyk performed commanding boxing to beat ‘AJ’ in points.
While no date or location has been announced, the bout looks set to take place in July, and now-retired Price has given his thoughts on the upcoming second bout against Boxing Social’s Andi Purewal.
“Joshua is an Olympic style fighter, a textbook fighter just like me. Unless you can bring some difference to the table, Usyk can predict what the boxer will do more than ten times over. He will deal with it more easily than someone who does something a little different. So I think unless Joshua changes something dramatically or throws a big hit and jumps on him, I just can’t see him beat Usyk. “
Price, like many, believes Joshua needs a return to the hound-type fighter, who brought the 2012 Olympic gold medalist plenty of success before clashing with Andy Ruiz Jr.
“I think what AJ did in both of his losses broke them down. He is a deep thinker by the looks of it. He was trying to figure out why he lost.
Sometimes you can think too much about these things.
Sometimes it can be the simplest thing. For me, I just reverted to his original warrior type, aggression, strength. His strength is unbelievable. I beat him to win the first teamfight because I thought once he landed he wouldn’t let Usyk get out of the box, but he managed to get ahead so he could be the best. The best boxer in the world in any division. Why he’s trying so hard, I don’t know.”
One amazing thing Joshua was able to exploit was Usyk’s mindset going into this fight. Having spent time in Ukraine during the ongoing war and now leaving can have a significant effect on the champion. Can he turn off what’s going on in his country and be 100% prepared for one of these
Biggest fight of his career?
“The only time it became an issue for Usyk, in my own experience, was when he was not in the gym,” says Price.
“When he’s in the gym, it’s his escape from reality. Nothing else really matters. You don’t get nervous thinking about the war in Ukraine because he’s conditioned to focus on what he’s doing there and then in that gym.
“But when he takes a shower, eats some food and stays in his hotel, it’s going to be very difficult. It may be draining. Everyone knows if you’re worried it drains your energy. It could be beneficial for AJ as he will be mentally and physically exhausted from what is happening. But at the same time, he will probably use that as motivation to try and lift the spirits of the people of his country by defending his heavyweight titles, so he has a lot of weight on his shoulders. . It definitely makes it more interesting from a boxing point of view.
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