ESPN boxing expert, former world champion in two categories, American Andre Ward took part in the show sports analyst Max Kellerman
Max on Boxing.
In a conversation, Ward told what the performance of the former British heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua (24-2, 22 KOs) will depend on in a rematch with the IBF / WBO / WBA title holder Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk (19-0, 13 KOs). The experts also discussed Anthony’s words about training and participation in the training of the British American coach Robert Garcia.
Usyk dominated the first fight with Joshua. Will the second fight be different? What do you think?
Max, it’s hard to say. I think Anthony Joshua is an ever-changing fighter. Where is he psychologically, where is he stylistically, will he gain more muscle mass? All these variables will sort of answer this question. We don’t have an answer right now. Now another variable has been added with the arrival of Robert Garcia, who is an excellent coach with a large stable of fighters. I don’t know if I need to say that he was a great fighter himself in his time. But I’m not sure that Robert Garcia’s mindset serves the fighters I’ve seen.
I heard Anthony Joshua say he wants to be trained as a lightweight. But you’re not a lightweight, you’re a heavyweight. You need to train like a heavyweight. I don’t think Anthony Joshua needs more hard work. You need to be smarter, work on your mind, understand what you are doing, why you are doing it and when you need to do it. These things seem simple, elementary, but his wires short out in the middle of the fight, and this is what you saw in the fight with Usyk. You have seen him in places where he has not been. He wasn’t afraid of Usyk, he just didn’t know what style or what weapon or tool to use at that moment. And Usyk used this as his advantage. This should be different in revenge.
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– Since he said he wants to train as a lightweight, then, as for me, it is to be more active. Since the fighters in the light division are more active. If it’s in his head, then I believe it’s true. He doesn’t know what tool to use and his toolbox is obviously not as big as Usyk’s, but if he fights at a faster pace and fights more physically, like Robert Garcia’s fighters usually do, it will probably put him in a better position than trying to rethink Usyk during the fight. Is not it?
But, Max, how? Its stance and dimensions will not change. This man won a gold medal and became a heavyweight champion fighting in his own way. Now is not the time. It’s a refurbishment, a major overhaul. Too late for that. As George Foreman said, as those old heavyweight trainers used to say, “You have to train and fight like a big fighter.” He has to find a way to use all that size he has and use it to his advantage. You can not selectively “poke” (blows) with Oleksandr Usyk. He can’t win this fight.
– I think the way Garcia’s fighters fight will benefit Anthony. They use physics, they apply pressure, and they don’t do it recklessly. So is Joshua. He should not act recklessly, but more alive than he fought in the last fight, more physical, more active, isn’t it? How would you advise him to fight Usyk?
“I’ve been trying to tell Anthony Joshua for the last six or seven years – lose weight! Then you will feel faster. You want to throw more punches. You don’t want to hit that wall in the middle of a fight when the blood is clogging your muscles and you can’t throw punches. Train him the way you trained him, fix one or two things on offense and one or two things on defense. But you need to constantly work on the mind, remind him who he is. He’s the heavyweight champion, even if he lost. You have to get your titles back, there is no way this smaller fighter can compete with you.
- Countryman Joshua knows how to defeat Usyk. It will look ugly