On August 20 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Oleksandr Usyk will defend his WBA, IBF, and WBO heavyweight titles against former titleholder Anthony Joshua in a highly anticipated rematch.
Kemifilani recalls that Usyk won the belts by a unanimous decision over Joshua in September 2021.
Joshua, a Nigerian-British Olympic gold medalist, gave up the titles after a 24-1 start to his career, which included victories over Wladimir Klitschko, Dillian Whyte, and Alexander Povetkin. His only defeats were to Usyk and Andy Ruiz Jr. in one of the biggest upsets in boxing history in June 2019. Since his loss to Usyk, he hasn’t fought.
Usyk, a former undisputed cruiserweight champion and fellow Olympic gold medalist from Ukraine, is undefeated at 19-0. In 2019, he advanced to heavyweight, defeating Chazz Witherspoon, Derek Chisora, and Anthony Joshua.
