“He hits incredibly hard,” Oleksandr Usyk claims Deontay Wilder’s explosive power tilts scale against Anthony Joshua
Unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk has shared his predictions for the heavyweight bout between Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder.
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Oleksandr Usyk predicts Deontay Wilder vs. Anthony Joshua (via Imago/Instagram)
The IBF, WBO, and WBA heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk is waiting for his highly anticipated bout against WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury. Their highly anticipated bout will become the first heavyweight unification bout since 1996. Subsequently, former heavyweight champions Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder will fight each other.
The Anthony Joshua and Wilder matchup has been highly anticipated since early 2017 when both fighters were champions. Joshua and Wilder have devastating knockouts and undefeated records at that time. However, before the fighters fought each other, they suffered their first career losses. Hence, the announcement of their fight has reignited a lot of anticipation for boxing fans and fighters alike. The current champion, Usyk, commented about the matchup: “Wilder’s incredible streak is that if he hits once, one is unable to fight back. I’m going with Wilder, 60/40 in favour of Wilder. He hits incredibly hard. Deontay’s able to send someone flying when he touches them.”
Hence, Usyk has firmly stated and acknowledged Wilder’s devastating punching power. Furthermore, Usyk said that Wilder could hit his opponents so hard that they would lose the ability to fight back. Subsequently, Usyk believed Wilder had a better chance of winning the fight than Joshua.
In addition, Oleksandr Usyk has fought Joshua twice and has a good grasp on his power and boxing skills. Hence, his analysis and prediction for the fight are highly credible and unbiased. Only time will tell if Usyk predicted the matchup correctly.
Andy Ruiz was going to be Deontay Wilder’s next opponent
Before Joshua vs. Wilder was announced, Mexican boxer Andy Ruiz was expected to face Wilder. Furthermore, the winner of the bout was expected to fight Fury. However, neither fighter could negotiate a contract, and talks for the fight were discontinued.
Ruiz’s coach, Jorge Capetillo, stated that the fighter’s purse for the fight was the main dispute that stopped the negotiations. It’s been over a year since Ruiz’s last fight, which he won by a split decision over Luis Ortiz in September last year. Following his triumph, he was scheduled to face “The Bronze Bomber” in an eliminator match for the WBC title. However, Ruiz was later replaced by Joshua, and in the future, Ruiz may fight Wilder or have a trilogy match against Joshua.
In addition, Joshua suffered his first loss against Ruiz in 2019 and later won his belt back in a rematch. Subsequently, Ruiz was the first professional boxer to hand Joshua his career’s first defeat after consecutive KO victories.
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