The most important heavyweight bout so far this year is just a few days away. Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London this Saturday will host the heavyweight showdown between WBA/IBF/WBO champion Anthony Joshua (pictured) and former world cruiserweight champion Oleksandr Usyk. The 31 year-old Brit will be making the second defense of his current reign since regaining the title in December 2019. Joshua previously had a three-defense reign for two years until he lost by knockout to Andy Ruiz in June 2019. At the end of that year he regained his belts in a rematch vs. Ruiz and retained them in December 2020 against Kubrat Pulev.

 

Now he will have a very different challenge in the Ukrainian Usyk, the 2012 London Olympic champion and former undisputed cruiserweight monarch. The heavyweight division ot deeped when Usyk announced he would move up to the top division after cleaingin out the 200-pound category. The 34-year-old southpaw has won two fights in the division (Chazz Witherspoon and Dell Chisora) and has now earned the opportunity to challenge Joshua (24-1). Usyk is 24-0 including the World Series of Boxing.