Glamsquad reports that on Wednesday, August 17, Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk squared off ahead of their rematch this weekend.
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Usyk and Joshua will square off again on Saturday night, August 20, this time in Saudi Arabia, with the British-Nigerian boxer looking to reclaim the WBA, WBO, and IBF belts he lost to Joshua last September in London.
On Saturday night, Joshua is expected to present a significant challenge in his bid to reclaim his titles.
Krassyuk, Usyk’s manager, has also stated that he will be a new threat, with renewed motivation to represent those in his home country of Ukraine.
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‘When we saw Usyk’s training camp videos, we realized he looks like a cyborg,’ Krassyuk said on Wednesday. ‘In the last few months, he went through hell.’ It didn’t kill him, but it did strengthen him. He’s never been more determined than he is right now.
‘There aren’t many champions in the world who can go through a war and make it to the ring to defend their title.
‘It was an extremely difficult challenge for him, but he handled it admirably.’ People want him to fight and win, and they want the Ukrainian flag to.”
Joshua admits that a difficult night lies ahead, but he is excited to face the pound-for-pound champion again.
‘It’s difficult, but I’m looking forward to the challenge,’ he said. Let’s get this job done, instinct, and God willing, I’ll come out on top.
‘I have goals for the night that I want to achieve, and I need to be disciplined to follow through.’ It’s a race against myself. The belts have meaning, but only at the end of the target.
‘First and foremost, I’ll concentrate on the process.’ I’d like to compete. I’m a competitive person.’