The main boxing match of the year is less than a week away. On August 20, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, 35-year-old Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk will be in the ring for the second time against 32-year-old Briton Anthony Joshua.

The broadcast of the entire boxing evening in Ukraine will be free. The show will be open on the Parimatch website and the brand’s official app, MEGOGO’s Sports section, MEGOGO Gong interactive channel and regional Public Television channels.

He scored a historic victory in a fight against then-WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua Usyk in London on September 25, 2021 – becoming the first Ukrainian to hold a halfweight title, after which he won a heavyweight title. belts. The fight at Tottenham Arena lasted twelve rounds, with Usyk unanimously declared the winner. Representatives of both boxers immediately announced the upcoming rematch. Briton activated the option specified in the contract for the first fight.

The champion boxer and Parimatch Responsible Gaming Ambassador talked about his expectations from the upcoming fight and shared his vision of the main events in the boxing world.

In his rematch with Joshua

The last fight with Anthony Joshua showed that I can box and win in heavyweight and continue in the same spirit, show good and quality boxing. We learned a lot about Joshua, his style, his reactions after the first fight. My coach has reviewed the fight many times and continues to do so. We are developing the combinations that we will apply in the rematch. I cannot reveal all the secrets we are now developing. But the coach saw what we needed, and so did I.

Anthony is a strong man, a strong boxer, in the second fight he will be different, he will be prepared differently. I’ll do it too.

The fight is already planned in Saudi Arabia, although I love London, I love boxing in London. For me this is a happy place, I have boxed there more than once and thankfully won. But for me it doesn’t matter where I’m boxing. I also box comfortably in front of new audiences, go out for me in new places and do my job. Am I sure of future victory? I am sure of what I did. For doing my job 100%. Can you be 100% sure of anything? I don’t know, maybe someone else can. I know I do my job, boxing. Victory comes from the Lord God.

How did you feel after the first victory in London?

It was a feeling of joy. The feeling that you are doing everything right. The feeling that you have worked hard and your hard work has paid off. Just joy. Yes, many experts say that if there were 30 seconds or one more minute in the 12th round, Anthony was likely to be knocked down. But I don’t think about it. This is our guess, as it happened. I did 12 rounds and I won.

You have to enter the ring at least once or do something that is very difficult for you in order to experience the feelings I experienced. It is a great joy for this team, this is thanks to the Lord God for the strength he gives me every day. This is a great joy for those who rejoice with me. These feelings cannot be put into words because they have to be experienced. You feel that you are doing everything right, you work hard in the gym, you put a lot of effort into life. And thank God you enjoy the fact that everything works out for you.

About his achievements and the best boxers in the world

I consider Olympic gold the highest achievement in my career. There is nothing higher for me anymore. It doesn’t compare to the belts I have in the passenger weight or the belts I have in the heavyweight. Maybe if I combine the heavyweight belts and get all 4, then I’m thinking which is higher: Olympic gold or all 4 heavyweights? I think every boxer wants to compete in heavyweight. Those who have this opportunity are working to reach this level, those who do not have it dream. When I boxed in the passenger weight, I told myself that once I had won all four titles in the division, I would move on to heavyweight. I kept my word, moved on to heavyweight.

Regarding the most difficult opponent – while it was like that for myself. Every day you have to force yourself to do what you don’t want to do. You need to wake up in the morning, train, run, swim, cycle, and work again, realizing yourself in different directions, so that later on you can easily do what gives you pleasure.

I am interested in watching Vasily Lomachenko, Floyd Mayweather, Me Pacquiao in other weight categories. There are many boxers whose fights are interesting to watch. Although I do not watch boxing very often and I am not a fan of watching, there are fights that you watch with great enthusiasm.

About possible fights with Tyson Fury or Alvarez

I don’t know if Tyson Fury is retired, that’s his job. But once we pass our test in a rematch, I’m sure Tyson Fury won’t miss the opportunity to consolidate all belts. So I think this fight is possible.

And I need to lose 12 kilos to meet Canel Alvarez. It’s going to be a weird fight. I think I should first do what I planned in heavyweight, then maybe arrange fights like this. But the fight with Cannelo Alvarez has huge money potential, so I do not exclude the possibility of such a freak fight happening.

About his sports career

I just want to box. Train and box. What if it wasn’t for boxing? I like football. I would love to do it professionally. I would play for an English team and I would be in the Ukrainian national team.