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Anthony Joshua v Oleksandr Usyk
WBA (Super), IBF, WBO and IBO Heavyweight World Championship
25 September 2021
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
Anthony Joshua will look to dedicate a victory to his trainer Rob McCracken when he faces Oleksandr Usyk and puts his WBA (Super), IBF, WBO and IBO Heavyweight World Championship titles on the line on Saturday 25 September 2021 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.
Joshua (24-1, 22 KO) comes into the bout on the back of a ninth-round knockout win over Kubrat Pulev in December of last year, while Usyk (18-0, 13 KO) was last in the ring in October 2020 and defeated Britain’s Derek Chisora via unanimous decision after 12 rounds.
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Joshua began his camp for this fight without his long-time trainer McCracken, who was away with Team GB at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. “Definitely. Rob is the gaffer. Having the gaffer there, or not there? You feel his presence,” said the 31-year-old.
“But in a way it worked out well because we have got a good team. I always look at old-school training - Manny Pacquiao had Freddie Roach. Kevin Rooney, Teddy Atlas and Cus D'Amato [with Mike Tyson]. Certain athletes move to different trainers.”
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Joshua added Angel Fernandez and Joby Clayton to his training set-up after his shock loss to Andy Ruiz Jr but, all the while, doubled down on his faith in McCracken.
The heavyweight champion said of McCracken: "I've got to win a fight for Rob. I've got to want to fight for Rob.” He added: “A coach can train the same system but has to understand what makes individuals tick. I might need motivation: 'Come on champ, do it for your kids!' You might need: 'More work, we're doing 20 rounds!'”
Tale of the tape
Anthony Joshua
Nickname: AJ
Nationality: British
Age: 31
Record: 24-1 (22 KO)
Height: 198cm
Reach: 208cm
Stance: Orthodox
- WBA (Super), IBF, WBO and IBO Heavyweight World Champion
- 2012 Olympic Games, Gold Medal winner, Super-heavyweight
Oleksandr Usyk
Nickname: The Cat
Nationality: Ukrainian
Age: 34
Record: 18-0 (13 KO)
Height: 191cm
Reach: 198cm
Stance: Southpaw
- 2012 Olympic Games, Gold Medal winner, Heavyweight
- WBO mandatory challenger
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