- Date & Location: Saturday, August 20, 2022 at Jeddah Super Dome in Saudi Arabia
- Time: TBD
- How to Watch: DAZN
Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua head to Saudi Arabia on Saturday for their much-anticipated fight as the Brit looks to get revenge for his unanimous decision loss to the Ukrainian last year at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. That defeat resulted in Joshua losing his belts, just as he did in 2019 when Andy Ruiz Jr knocked him out, handing Joshua his first-ever loss as a professional. Keep reading for the Oleksandr Usyk vs Anthony Joshua picks.
Usyk is the No. 1 ranked heavyweight boxer on the globe right now, while Joshua is right behind him at No. 2. The Englishman might have more experience on this stage, but as we saw in 2021, Usyk is capable of taking down Joshua. Usyk is the former cruiserweight champ and has transitioned perfectly to the heavyweight division. Both fighters were also medalists in the 2012 Summer Olympics. Usyk won gold in heavyweight, while Joshua captured gold in super-heavyweight. This should be a beast of a fightt. Can Joshua hand him his first loss? Before we get into the odds and predictions for this fight, check out the best boxing betting sites and where you can find our sportsbook reviews.
Oleksandr Usyk vs Anthony Joshua Odds
 | Odds |
|---|---|
| Oleksandr Usyk | -210 |
| Anthony Joshua | +160 |
Oleksandr Usyk vs Anthony Joshua Pick and Prediction
Usyk is 19-0 with 13 knockouts in his boxing career and put his brilliance on full display in London against Joshua. The Ukraine-born fighter dominated his opponent from the early stages, wearing him down. While the fight did go the full distance, Usyk landed 149 punches against Joshua, the most of any fighter to ever face the former heavyweight champ. Usyk also landed 29 punches in the final round alone en route to taking the WBA, IBF, and WBO belts from Joshua. The final scores ended up 117-112, 116-112, and 115-113 by the judges. Usyk will now be looking to prove that win was no fluke in the Usyk vs Joshua picks.
Joshua was frankly outclassed on home turf last September. It's that simple. He landed a total of 123 punches and 15 body shots, including 71 power punches compared to 96 for Usyk. Joshua is 24-2 in his career, with both losses coming in the last three years and costing him numerous belts. 22 of his victories came via knockout. Joshua is undoubtedly the more powerful boxer here, but Usyk has the speed and technical abilities to do damage again. The Brit will likely be looking for an early knockout because that's typically how he usually wins his fights.
Joshua definitely packs more of a punch in terms of sheer power, but if he isn't able to knock out Usyk early on, he could run out of gas. But, it's important to note that Joshua has slimmed down a bit and added more quickness, while Usyk has bulked up. This bout could potentially look a lot different than last year's. Although a lot of people believe the Ukrainian will come out victorious again, I like Joshua. He's brought in a new coach and a new team to help with his mental state for this bout. He'll take back the belts here.
Over/Under Value
Joshua looks fitter this time around. I know he's going to go for the knockout, but something tells me this fight will be a marathon. I'm not saying it will last the full 12 rounds, but I do see it definitely lasting at least 10 rounds. There's value in betting over 9.5 here at -155 odds in the Usyk vs Joshua picks.
There is one reason, in particular, I think Joshua can turn around his fortunes. This fight was supposed to be earlier in the year, but Usyk went back to Ukraine to help fight in the war with Russia. Was he really as focused on training as Joshua with all the problems back home in his native country? We really don't know the definitive answer. However, Joshua has been waiting for this bout and revenge is lingering on his mind. Joshua's improved hand speed and power should play a key part too. It's actually worth just sprinkling a little bit of money on him winning via knockout as well at +340.
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