* All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.
Forget all the nonsense that has been going on in and around boxing, the big show is back in town! 60,000 fans will pack themselves into the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday night to see Anthony Joshua face unbeaten dangerman Oleksander Usyk and a stacked undercard featuring Lawrence Okolie defending his cruiserweight strap, Callum Smith debuting in the light heavyweight division and Campbell Hatton continuing his ascent in the noble art.
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10pm: Anthony Joshua V Oleksandr Usyk – Usyk to Win
We’ve all heard AJ repeat the same lines about the “road to undisputed” but, like any journey, we’ve hit some delays and had to reroute. Former unified cruiserweight champ Usyk is the next opponent in Joshua’s path and it’s time to believe the hype – this is a really good fight between two 2012 Olympic gold medallists and it could go either way.
Some scraps require little analysis but for this one we need to dive into the tactics. Josh has varied his weight from 229 pounds to 254 pounds through his career, and he’s looking lean again on his socials. Recently, when he’s weighed in light, he’s been mobile and boxed off the back foot – in the rematch against Andy Ruiz he kept his range and jabbed the head off the Mexican.
For this bout, I think the Brit will start similarly but after a couple of rounds he’ll try to impose his size advantage and put some smart pressure on Usyk with straight shots. Less muscle will allow AJ’s shots to zip that bit quicker and I think he has the hand speed advantage over Usyk.
The trouble for Josh initially might not be the hands but the feet. Where the heavyweight champ can be stiff, Usyk is agile – the Ukrainian moves in and out of range effortlessly and makes his opponents throw and miss with his movement.
Last time the dangerous funnyman was on UK shores he gave Dereck Chisora the run-around while picking off the Londoner with everything from a sharp southpaw jab to a five-punch combo on the inside. And, back in 2018, Oleksandr gave Tony Bellew a few early rounds before upping the tempo and finishing Liverpool’s finest in the eighth.
I think Usyk will be happy to dance with Joshua until the bigger man wants to come and engage. Once Olek has the measure of his man he’ll begin to hold his feet and aim to land the shots he needs to become a two-weight world champion.
I can see AJ having some trouble with his challenger’s footwork and lefty stance but my real concern is his habit of gassing in the middle rounds – that coincides with the time when Usyk moves through the gears and I think this contest could be another major bump in the road for Joshua with Usyk to Win.
Undercard
9.30pm: Lawrence Okolie v Dilan Prasovic – Okolie to win in rounds 7-9
Eddie Hearn is building 200-pounder Okolie to be the next star of his stable. The Londoner won’t prove anything by beating little-known Montenegrin Dilan Prasovic but the fight adds to his limited professional experience and gives him the chance to add another KO to the highlight reel.
Prasovic comes with a record of 15 wins, no losses and 12 KOs, and he likes to hold his hands low and throw big shots. On the negative side, he’s small for a cruiserweight and he seems to be quite easy to hit.
Okolie has thunderous power but sometimes he can take a while to ignite – I’m going for the value in this one and looking at a late stoppage win for the Brit. That’ll be Okolie to win in rounds 7-9.
Former super middleweight boss Callum Smith is finally moving up a division and he meets veteran Dominican Lenin Castillo (8pm). Castillo has been in with some top kids and never been stopped, but at 33 his resilience could be on the slide – back Smith to win by KO.
Kicking off the evening is exciting, son-of-a-great, Campbell Hatton against Uruguayan gym-sweep Sonni Martinez (9pm). Hatton is still improving and I think this will be another points win for the North West youth.
Almost guaranteed to be fight-of-the-night is the welterweight scrap between British-based Albanian Florian Marku and Italian-based Romanian Maxim Prodan (7pm). Marku has more about him but I like the massive odds on Prodan-the-puncher to win.
This weekend’s boxing tips
10pm: Anthony Joshua V Oleksandr Usyk – Usyk to Win
9.30pm: Lawrence Okolie v Dilan Prasovic – Okolie to win in rounds 7-9
9pm: Campbell Hatton v Sonni Martinez – Hatton on points
8pm: Callum Smith v Lenin Castillo – Smith by KO
7pm: Florian Marku v Maxim Prodan – Prodan to Win
MORE TIPS
* All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.
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