Anthony Joshua: I would have ‘smoked’ Oleksandr Usyk if he wasn’t a southpaw

Joshua was beaten by Usyk on points last September and will attempt to avenge the loss this weekend

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Anthony Joshua has claimed that he would ‘smoke’ Oleksandr Usyk if the Ukrainian were not a southpaw.

Usyk earned a decision win against Joshua in London last September, taking the WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO heavyweight titles from the Briton in doing so. “AJ” will try to regain the belts and avenge the loss when the pair clash again this Saturday, their rematch taking place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The consensus among pundits is that Joshua, 32, must take a more aggressive approach than in his first fight with Usyk, 35, but the former champion has explained his tactics from that bout and why implementing aggression is not as easy as it seems.

“It sounds crazy,” Joshua said via the Daily Mail, “but I’m not going to lie: My objective was never to hurt him, to land damaging punches; my aim was to go the full 12 rounds and prove I could box as well as he does, to land scoring punches.

“But I didn’t work hard enough to prepare for a 12-round fight at that pace. I wasn’t in the right mindset – that of wanting to go in there and smash him. Using my size and power this time is evident, isn’t it? But to work on it is easier said than done.

“Training camps are so challenging, so draining, so brain-fatiguing. I need to be better conditioned.

Oleksandr Usyk (left) during his decision win against Anthony Joshua in London
Oleksandr Usyk (left) during his decision win against Anthony Joshua in London (Getty Images)

“I need adjustments to deal with a southpaw, because to me these lefties are a nightmare. I swear that if Oleksandr wasn’t a lefty, I would have smoked him – 100 per cent.”

Joshua has therefore seemingly admitted that it is not wise to try to outbox Usyk, but also that he will struggle to finish the unbeaten Ukrainian even with a more aggressive style.

All will be revealed on Saturday night, when Joshua seeks to become a three-time world heavyweight champion.

Anthony Joshua: “If Oleksandr Wasn’t A Lefty I Would Have Smoked Him” By Boxing News – 08/15/2022 – Comments By Charles Brun: Anthony Joshua believes that he would have beaten Oleksandr Usyk “100%” if he weren’t a southpaw last September. Joshua (24-2, 22 KOs) says he must make adjustments when he fights southpaws because they’re a “nightmare” for him. It’s unclear why Joshua is choosing to openly reveal his problems with lefties now the week of the fight. Could it be that Joshua wants the boxing public to go easy on him should he lose the rematch? It sure seems like it. The only reason Joshua would choose to admit that he struggles against southpaws now is to have the fans give him a break if he loses. “I need adjustments to deal with a southpaw because to me, these lefties are a nightmare. I swear if Oleksandr weren’t a lefty, I would have smoked him, 100%,” said Anthony Joshua to the Dailymail. “He’s an anomaly. He’s the most difficult man to face in boxing right now that’s active,” said Tony Bellew to DAZN Boxing Show about Oleksandr  Usyk. “Yeah, probably,” said Bellew when asked if Usyk is pound-for-pound #1. NEWS:   Eddie Hearn Lays Out Heavyweight Championship Landscape “He’s just so hard to figure out. If you haven’t figured him out by six rounds, it’s very, very difficult. You literally got to go in there with a seek & destroy mission. “You can’t just go all guns blazing straightaway because if it was that easy, people would have done it in the past. You’ve got to break him down slowly and hurt the body. “There are so many different things that you got to do, and you’ve got to be consistent with it. Can Anthony do it? Yes, he can. He has all the ability and all the physical attributes to do it. “But can he unlock it up here to get it again to get the job done? Make no mistake, regardless of who the trainer is in the corner, the fighter is going to do what he needs to do. “He’s going to revert to type. When someone punches you in the face, you don’t think, ‘What did he tell me to do?’ No, you react, you respond. NEWS:   Hrgovic vs Dubois Fight Elevated to IBF Interim Title Bout “You can train with a certain style with a certain coach, and that’s great in camp. But when you get in the ring on the night, you’re going to do what you are prepared to do. He’s prepared for a big fight, and that’s what he needs to do,” said Bellew about Joshua.