Oleksandr Usyk has emerged as odds-on favourite for his rematch with Anthony Joshua which is set to take place in Saudi Arabia on August 20. Usyk currently holds the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight titles after beating Joshua in their first fight at the Tottenham Hotpsur Stadium in September 2021.
Betfair have announced that Usyk is 4-9 favourite to beat the 32 year old Brit following his unanimous decision win against AJ who is currently 7/4 to win the fight. A draw is 16/1 with the fight expected to be one of the biggest heavyweight fights in recent years given the expectation that the winner will face WBC champion Tyson Fury in a unification bout later this year.
In terms of fight outcomes, the most likely predicted method of victory is Usyk via KO/TKO at 17/10 which is closely followed by Usyk via points or decision at 9/5. Meanwhile, Joshua is 4/1 to win via either method, with the fight 8/11 to not go the distance and evens to be settled by the judges.
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One indicator could well be the fact that Joshua has already fought in a Saudi Arabia rematch, beating Andy Ruiz in the gulf state in 2019. In that fight he won back his belts which were then lost to Usyk but unfortunately for the Londoner there is no precedent for a Usyk defeat, with the Ukrainian two-weight world champion unbeaten across his career.
Speaking about the fight, Betfair spokesperson Sam Rosbottom said: “Ahead of their highly-anticipated rematch in August, Oleksandr Usyk is odds-on at 4/9 to earn a second victory over Anthony Joshua in the space of 11 months. AJ is 7/4 to exact revenge on Usyk, who inflicted just a second career loss on the Brit in London last year, while a draw is 16/1. Usyk beat Joshua via a unanimous decision last time out, but it is now odds-on at 8/11 for the fight not to go the distance.”
