Anthony Joshua backed to “badly” hurt Olekandr Usyk with new gameplan in rematch

Joshua has partnered with Robert Garcia ahead of his rematch against Usyk and the Brit has been backed to put a beating on his opponent by promoter Eddie Hearn

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Oleksandr Usyk returns Anthony Joshua’s belts following fight

Anthony Joshua has been told he can “badly” hurt Oleksandr Usyk if he comes up with a new gameplan to avenge his loss against the Ukrainian.

Joshua lost his heavyweight titles against Usyk when he was outpointed by the former undisputed cruiserweight champion last September. The pair have been expected to meet again since that fight, but an official date for the rematch has not yet been announced.

Their second fight will take place at the Jeddah Super Dome in Saudi Arabia, which holds 40,000 people. Joshua has employed accomplished coach Robert Garcia as his lead trainer for the fight and Matchroom Boxing boss Eddie Hearn has backed the Brit to seriously hurt Usyk.

“Joshua can hurt this guy bad if he’s got those intentions, but in a smart way,” Hearn told iFL TV. “Some people are saying ‘you’ve just got to go in there and stick it on him’. You’re talking about the pound-for-pound No.1, Usyk. It’s going to be a great fight.”

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“I feel that you’ve got to be smart. You can’t just go in and be reckless, but you’ve got to have smart aggression. You’ve got to unsettle him. I don’t think, as most people are in the same boat, that Usyk likes being hit. I don’t think he likes it round the body.

“I don’t think he likes it rough and tough, you’ve got to put a dent in him but do it in a smart way. If you look at what Chisora did to Usyk, I know it’s different, when Usyk found his rhythm he started to boxing nicely but you’ve got to take him out of that rhythm.”

Garcia is mostly known for guided his brother Mikey and now-retired Marcos Maidana to several world titles during his coaching career. Joshua admits he won’t change his style under Garcia but will come up with a new strategy to beat Usyk.

“I think he’s going to be a fantastic addition to the corner and I truly believe that ‘AJ’ will win the fight against Usyk,” Hearn added. With the momentum and the confidence of someone like Robert Garcia, I think it will put him in a great place.

“He visited a lot of coaches and spoke to a lot of people, he’s very happy with Angel [Fernandez] in the corner as well but wanted that bit of experience and difference. He went through that process alone and came out with Robert Garcia, who is one of the best trainers in the world.”