British ex-world champion Carl Frampton shared his thoughts on the upcoming rematch between his compatriot, former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua (24-2, 22 KOs) and current WBA / WBO / IBF title holder Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk (19-0, 13 KOs) ), which is scheduled for August 20 in Saudi Arabia.
Karl understands how Joshua needs to act to win, but he is not sure that he will succeed, and sees the Ukrainian boxer as a favorite.
Recall that Alexander won his first fight in September last year on points in England.
“Usyk is undoubtedly a very smart fighter. And this time he expects a different approach from Joshua, because it’s obvious, Frampton says in an interview.
Sky Sports. – If you put a gun to my temple, I will say that Usyk will win the rematch. Although I don’t think it will be as easy as many expect. My prediction is based on what Joshua will have to do in the ring, given that at the end of the first fight he was exhausted and shaken. I think if he does not stop Usyk, then he will be stopped in the end. I hope I’m wrong.”
“Many predict Usyk’s victory, and it’s hard to disagree with them. It’s likely to be a tough fight for both guys and we know what Joshua has to do to win – use size and physicality. To be such a bull, – said Karl. “But there is something that worries me: I doubt that Joshua will be able to fight like this for very long. That he is able to fight at a high pace and press the opponent to get closer to him at a long distance of the fight. He needs to do this in spurts, and after an active round in which he will spend a lot of energy, devote the next 3 minutes to recovery. All because of his size and body structure.
And here is the “final” prediction for the fight from Eddie Hearn.