Rage On The Red Sea: Usyk vs Joshua 2
FightersTalkTV.com – Rage On The Red Sea, will be billed as one of the biggest heavyweight rematches in the history of boxing. Unified heavyweight world champion, Oleksandr Usyk, will put his IBF, WBA, WBO and IBO World Titles on the line against former champion Anthony Joshua in the coastal city of Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Saturday, August 20. Usyk (19-0, 13 KOs) stunned Joshua (24-2, 22 KOs) and the boxing world by outpointing the Englishman to win the IBF, WBA and WBO titles last September in London. Joshua was outboxed over the twelve-round distance as he suffered the second defeat of his professional career, losing via unanimous decision with judges’ scorecards of 117–112, 116–112 and 115–113 all in Usyk’s favour. The result meant that Usyk became only the second boxer ever, after Evander Holyfield, to win unified world titles in both the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions. Since the pair’s first meeting, former Undisputed Cruiserweight World Champion Usyk (19-0, 13 KOs) has gained further global attention after putting the rematch on hold to support his home nation on the front line during their ongoing conflict. “I have a goal, with the help of the Lord I will complete my mission!” Usyk said at the press conference. Oleksandr Usyk won by unanimous decision over Anthony Joshua in their first fight. “What a roller coaster journey, fighting for the Heavyweight Championship of the World for the 12th consecutive time,” said Joshua. “I won the belt, unified the division won another belt, lost the belts, became two-time Unified Heavyweight Champion and now have my date with history set to become three-time Unified Heavyweight Champion of the World. What an opportunity! “Fighting championship level back to back has had its pros and cons, but I decide every day to get stronger, to learn from my experiences and grow. A happy fighter is a dangerous fighter and I am the happiest and most motivated I have been. “Thank you to the organisers, to 258MGT, Matchroom Boxing and to all the boxing fans across the world, with a special shout out to the Ukrainian fans who have been through a really tough time.” Joshua Aims To Reverse His Loss “I just want to say god is good, all the time, even through tough times. I’d like to thank everyone for coming out today. Definitely the hunger is still there. As I always said from the get-go, stay hungry. Just keep the motivation high. Blips happen. Things happen in life but resilience, mental toughness and consistency will always prevail. We’re still on the road, we’re still on the road to Undisputed for sure. It’s just a little blip in the road but I’m focused on the target which is sitting over there (points to Usyk). Anthony Joshua plans to ‘explode’ at Oleksandr Usyk in their rematch. “The fight with Usyk, he bust my ass for some rounds. I have to take that defeat like a man as well. I hold myself accountable. I’m someone who can admit when I’m wrong and hold my head high when I’m right. The fight in September, he was right, and I was wrong. Simply, I have to reverse that role on August 20th. I don’t like to overcomplicate the situation because there’s simplicity in genius. Sometimes if you keep things simple you can achieve great things, so I’m just going to keep things simple, move forward and the date will soon come.” Robert Garcia, who was recently hired as the head coach to guide Joshua to victory in his second fight with Usyk, says he’s now focusing on adapting, making changes to AJ’s game so that there won’t be a repeat of what took place last September. “I thought he fought the wrong fight, and that’s the past. That happened already. Usyk was the better man, congratulations to him, but come August 20th, we’re going to do whatever it takes to win his titles back. “I know he can do it. He’s the bigger man, the stronger man, he’s got the reach advantage and we’re going to take advantage of all that. Come that day, we’re going to have a three-time heavyweight champion of the world,’ said Robert Garcia, predicting a victory for Joshua. Eddie Hearn, the Chairman of Matchroom Boxing, says at the press conference that this fight will be a chance for Joshua to reclaim his title back. “We are thrilled to get one of the biggest Heavyweight rematches in boxing history made and give Anthony Joshua the chance to reclaim what he lost in London last September. Everything is on the line for this Unified World Heavyweight Championship bout and it could not be a bigger contest. We know Oleksandr Usyk is a great fighter and we saw that last time out, but I know Anthony Joshua is more determined than ever. It was a huge success to host Anthony Joshua’s contest with Andy Ruiz Jr. in The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 2019 and we are looking forward to working with the country again to stage this historic event. So, no doubt all eyes of the world will be on the ring come Saturday August 20th. This is a story of redemption, and the countdown starts now.” Hearn said. Alexander Krassyuk, Usyk’s Promoter, said: “The rematch is on the way. The fight will be much bigger and more spectacular than the first. It is new history in the making. Being a part of this event is a huge honour. Our country is now fighting for its heritage. Our mission is to expand its legacy. With the help of the Lord we will achieve this.” Freddie Cunningham, Managing Director, 258MGT, said: “We are on the verge again of another huge moment in boxing history and the career of Anthony Joshua. Since turning professional Anthony has never shied away from anything, he has taken every challenge and actively looked for the biggest fights against the best in his division. This is his opportunity to become a Three Time Heavyweight Champion of the World and he will put everything into achieving this amazing feat. A big thank you to our team at 258 MGT, SCEE, Matchroom Boxing and everyone who has helped put this together.” There is still two months to prepare it, if you want to watch the fight, you have to wait until the ticket is announced. Don’t miss it!
