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JEDDAH. — The term ”must-win” is used far too often in boxing but tonight, on the coast of Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea, Anthony Joshua is in a fight which will determine which path his career takes next.
Joshua faces Oleksandr Usyk in a bid to recapture the WBO, WBA (Super) and IBF heavyweight titles he lost to the Ukrainian in London last September.
He describes the rematch as the “biggest” of his 26-fight professional career, adding: “I’ve got to take this one the most serious.”
Should Joshua win, he will rightly reap the benefits; silencing the doubters, proving his credentials as an elite heavyweight and setting up a potential all-British super fight with Tyson Fury.
While there is no shame in losing back-to-back bouts against someone of Usyk’s calibre, a defeat will direct Joshua back to the drawing board. His promoter, Eddie Hearn, has said ‘AJ’ will not retire but may never get another world-title shot.
Beating Usyk may not be must-win for Joshua’s career, but it is a must-win for his legacy.
Joshua (32) was outclassed, outpointed and far from outstanding when he lost to Usyk at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Something needed to change. Earlier this year, Joshua appointed American trainer Robert Garcia, who replaced Rob McCracken.
Garcia is a former super-featherweight champion. As a coach, he has worked the corner for the likes of Marcos Maidana, Brandon Rios, Nonito Donaire and younger brother Mikey Garcia – training 14 world champions.
“It’s the biggest fight I’ve ever been involved with,” he says.
McCracken trained Joshua through his amateur and professional career. Is it possible for a new coach to implement changes into a fighter’s game in just three months?
“A lot of the time it does take a couple of camps and fights for changes to take place,” says British trainer Dave Coldwell.
“I’m not sure how the two have gelled, but AJ is a student. He seems to drill and work really hard in improving himself all the time.
“He’s always working on things. So they’ve had a good stretch to drill and adapt.”
Joshua faced criticism from the boxing fraternity for being “gun shy” against Usyk.
Gone was the explosive combination puncher who knocked out his first 20 opponents. What we saw instead was a tentative fighter who tried to outbox arguably one of the sport’s greatest technical boxers.
“It was like AJ didn’t want to throw the jab or the right hand unless he knew he was going to land it,” Coldwell says.
Former two-weight world champion Carl Frampton adds: “I just found it so bizarre, AJ stood off him so much and allowed Usyk space. “If I was Joshua I’d rather go out on my shield and get chinned than lose in the manner he did last time.”
Joshua says he wants to reinvent himself. Throughout fight week in Jeddah, he has exuded a level of focus and calmness through his demeanour, body language and matter-of-fact words
“I am going to listen to my corner,” Joshua says. “I’ve listened to them for the last eight months of training with them. Now it’s about instinct. I’ve got to go in there and want it myself. “
The Londoner appears to be more comfortable as the challenger; Garcia says Joshua is “the happiest he has been throughout camp”.
Garcia, however, is under no illusions of Joshua’s capabilities.
“The whole boxing world knows he can’t outbox Usyk. So we have to put on a little pressure, in a smart way,” Garcia says.
“Joshua is a very talented fighter. Combinations are beautiful. Great jab, great right hand. We need to try and do it more often.
“But we’re not going in there to become a brawler, a Maidana type of fighter, we have to do it smart”. — BBC Sport.
Online Reporter