Oleksandr Usyk puts his WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight world titles on the line in a rematch against former champion Anthony Joshua on Saturday at the Jeddah Superdome in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (DAZN, 1 p.m. ET, with main event expected to start at 5:30 p.m. ET).
Usyk (19-0, 13 KOs), 35, of Shypyntsi, Ukraine, became the first undisputed cruiserweight champion by defeating Murat Gassiev in the World Boxing Super Series final in 2018. He made one defense against Tony Bellew and then moved to heavyweight, where he has victories over Chazz Witherspoon, Derek Chisora and Joshua. Usyk defeated Joshua back in November 2021 by unanimous decision to capture the heavyweight titles.
"I am not expecting anything from Anthony Joshua [in the rematch], but I know that he will be different, but so will I," Usyk said during a June 29 news conference to officially announce the fight.
Joshua (24-2, 22 KOs), 32, of Watford, England, won the IBF belt with a third-round TKO victory over Eric Molina in 2016. He added the WBA title with an impressive victory over Wladimir Klitschko in 2017 and the WBO title in a unanimous-decision win over Joseph Parker in 2018. Joshua lost the belts in a seventh-round TKO loss to Andy Ruiz in 2019, but won them back in the rematch six months later, before losing to Usyk.
"It is a rough and tough sport. Fighting these lefties is a nightmare. And I cannot make the same mistake twice," Joshua said. "I am hungry and desperate, but at the end of the day, how I perform will speak."
Joshua has changed trainers since that defeat. He is now working with Robert Garcia, who's tasked with getting Joshua ready to regain the belts once again.
"The whole team, everybody around us, is very positive. We have to do whatever is takes. We have to come out with different strategies in case one doesn't work. We'll be ready for the fight," Garcia said during the news conference.
Also on the card is a WBC light heavyweight eliminator between Callum Smith and Mathieu Bauderlique, and a women's junior featherweight fight between Ramla Ali and Crystal Garcia Nova.
Where can I watch the Usyk-Joshua 2 fight card?
The main card on DAZN begins at 1 p.m. ET, with the main event set for 5:30 p.m. ET. You will need to purchase a subscription to DAZN to watch.
The full card:
Title fight: Oleksandr Usyk vs. Anthony Joshua, 12 rounds, for Usyk's WBO, WBA and IBF heavyweight titles
Callum Smith vs. Mathieu Bauderlique, 12 rounds, WBC light heavyweight eliminator
Filip Hrgovic vs. Zhilei Zhang, 12 rounds, IBF heavyweight eliminator
Badou Jack vs. Richard Rivera, 10 rounds, light heavyweights
Andrew Tabiti vs. James Wilson, 8 rounds, heavyweights
Ramla Ali vs. Crystal Garcia Nova, 8 rounds, women's junior featherweights
Daniel Lapin vs. Jozef Jurko, 8 rounds, light heavyweights
Ben Whittaker vs. Petar Nosic, 6 rounds, light heavyweights
Bader Samreen vs. Fuad Tarverdi, 6 rounds, lightweights
Ziyad Almaayouf vs. Jose Alatorre, 4 rounds, junior welterweights
Rasheed Belhasa vs. Traycho Georgiev, 4 rounds, welterweights
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