Unified world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua collides with undefeated Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk, the WBO mandatory challenger, at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday, live on Sky Sports Box Office
Saturday 25 September 2021 22:10, UK
Oleksandr Usyk believes the "battle of two boxing intellects" against Anthony Joshua will be won with brain rather than brawn.
Britain's heavyweight star defends his IBF, WBA and WBO titles against Usyk at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday, live on Sky Sports Box Office.
Joshua had said that facing Usyk will be "a fight for the brain" and now his WBO mandatory challenger has given a chilling response: "Anthony is absolutely correct.
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"This will be a fight between two boxing minds, two boxing intellects.
"The one with more patience, to go through all the pressure in the fight, will take the victory."
Usyk is aiming to become just the third fighter ever to become both a cruiserweight and a heavyweight world champion.
He is undefeated since winning Olympic gold alongside Joshua at London 2012.
His southpaw style represents a unique challenge and Joshua had said of his tactics: "Concentration - when you want to [punch], you lock in, then make a move. You have to make sure your brain works. That can be mentally fatiguing so I am sharpening the mind so that I can concentrate for the 12 rounds."
Joshua is playing chess to stay sharp: "I've taken so many losses on the chessboard that I had to improve. That's what it taught me.
"In life, never give up.
"I played people who were better than me and I have taken so many beatings on this board. I grew to stay committed to the cause, and I got pretty good."
The unified champion hopes to stay on course for a blockbuster battle with Tyson Fury, who defends his WBC belt against Deontay Wilder in Las Vegas on October 9.
But Usyk holds his own ambitions of unifying all the world titles in the top division.
"Usyk is not dreaming of becoming undisputed. He is planning it," his promoter Alexander Krassyuk told Sky Sports.
He also said: "The Fury fight has never been under discussion."
After becoming undisputed champion at cruiserweight, Usyk wants to repeat this feat, and will firstly attempt to rip away Joshua's titles.
"Of course, it's the same thing into my heart that's left in me [becoming undisputed]," Usyk told Sky Sports.
"If it wouldn't be, I wouldn't be doing it."
Watch Joshua v Usyk on Saturday, live on Sky Sports Box Office, from 6pm. Book it via your Sky remote or book it online here. Non-Sky TV subscribers can book and watch it here.
