Eddie listens to Oleksandr Usyk: “You let this guy get into his rhythm, he can be unbeatable.”

By: Sean Crose

“Usyk has it all,” said Eddie Hearn ES . News in a video released Tuesday. In a sense, Honcho Matchroom Boxing was right. Usyk of Ukraine will enter this weekend’s hyped fight with Anthony Joshua with the WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight titles he owns. Usyk will also enter the ring on Saturday in Saudi Arabia knowing he has beaten Joshua, who will be his opponent that day, once before. However, Hearn has made it clear that he doesn’t necessarily think it’s a bad thing. “Come with this feeling as a challenger,” he said of Joshua. “For years, this was the AJ show,” he declared. “Now, come as side B and you are the underdog. People are abandoning you. “

It’s clear that Hearn sees his boxer being “wiped out” as a potential boost for former player Joshua. “He has to be smart,” Hearn said of this weekend’s rematch with Usyk. “The crux of this fight from my point of view is that once this sixth round gets to the end of the round, this guy has to get out of there or he’s going to be damaged or in a place where he really wants him. We will never want to go. back again. Then, Hearn said something about Usyk that might surprise some people.

“You let this guy catch up with him,” Hearn said of the tit-for-tat title defender, “he can be beaten.”

Of course, Hearn as well as anyone who knows how good Usyk can be. Before claiming the heavyweight belt for Joshua last September, the former cruiser heavyweight king went to the doctor. The bigger, more decorated Joshua just couldn’t seem to keep up. “You let this guy (Usyk) gut you,” Hearn continued, “you let this guy make you do things you’ve never done before, you’re not going to win this war.”

For Hearn, the challenge Joshua faces this weekend is simple – but incredibly difficult. “You have to hit him really hard in the body,” he said, “in the arm, in the shoulder, in the neck. You have to deal damage to him… but he is a very tough challenge… the key to this fight is the first six rounds. “Hearn not only wants Joshua to win this weekend in Saudi Arabia, but also wants him to win decisively.

“I don’t want it to be the point,” he said. “I don’t like this fight will be just for Anthony Joshua. He could win the points war but I want him to knock Oleksandr Usyk because I don’t want any guys around. I wanted a good round where we could all dive in the ring, celebrate and go home with all the belts and that’s what we wanted. “

“This is not an Andy Ruiz rematch,” Hearn added. “This is another level, this fight.”