David Haye: ‘Joshua will knock Usyk out with three consecutive punches’

“I think Usyk’s fighting style will work, if Joshua is only 1.8 meters tall. But Joshua is 1.98 meters tall and hits all-round. He’s one of the best heavyweight fighters. Because So, I believe Joshua will win by knockout,” Haye said above Sky Sports August 19th. “I will always predict the outcome of the match. Joshua will throw a jab, a right hook, and another jab to knock Usyk out.”

Joshua vs Usyk match trailer

Usyk is 1.91 meters tall, won all 18 professional matches, including 13 knockouts. The Ukrainian boxer was an absolute champion of welterweight, before moving to heavyweight in 2019.

In November 2020, he fought his second fight in this weight class, against Dereck Chisora. In this match, Usyk faced many difficulties against an opponent weighing more than 17 kg. Even Usyk fell to the floor in the fourth round, but the referee determined that this was not a knock-out situation of Chisora. In the end, Usyk won through referee points 117-111, 115-113, 115-113, and became the next name to challenge for the WBO belt that belongs to Joshua.

According to Haye, the progress of the match against Chisora ​​showed that Usyk did not have enough stature and strength to defeat Joshua. The former British boxer said: “If Usyk is the future of heavyweight boxing and can take Joshua down, he needs to knock Chisora ​​out with a landslide victory. But Usyk can’t do it. He’s in trouble. Usyk is not strong enough to win I think Joshua won’t have any trouble next time I can’t think of a scenario where Joshua could lose the next fight He looks powerful, strong and very fast”.

“Usyk may be very fast, but speed can’t make it difficult for tall fighters. Neither Usyk’s strength nor speed can make it difficult for Chisora. To take down heavier opponents – monster boxers in class heavy, you need heavy punches to gain respect, and make your opponents wary. But Usyk doesn’t have that,” Haye commented on Usyk’s style of play.

In March, Joshua and Tyson Fury signed a contract to fight all four of the most prestigious heavyweight titles, including the WBA, IBF, WBO and WBC heavyweight titles. But the match was postponed when Fury had to complete the third fight with Deontay Wilder. The WBO, therefore, asked Joshua to fight their number one contender, Oleksandr Usyk.

The fight with Usyk will be Joshua’s next WBA, WBO, IBF triple title defense, since the knockout victory of Kubrat Pulev late last year. The match at Tottenham Stadium on September 25 is also a confrontation between two boxers who have won Olympic gold medals. At the 2012 London Olympics, Joshua won the super heavyweight gold medal, while Usyk was the heavyweight champion.

Hong Duy