Deontay Wilder has confidently backed Oleksandr Usyk to defeat Anthony Joshua in their heavyweight sequel.
'AJ' will get a chance to reclaim his unified world titles this summer having been outpointed by Usyk in London last September. It will be the second time in the former two-time champion's career he will have to respond to defeat having successfully sought revenge against Andy Ruiz in 2019.
However Wilder believes Usyk will prove another step too far for Joshua and believes more people are now backing Usyk to score another victory. “I’m going with Usyk here, man,” Wilder told Elie Seckbach while on a video call with trainer Malik Scott. "I’m going with Usyk, and I think many people are [due to the first fight]. You know, it’s boxing at the end of the day, so you know – we’ll see. But I think it’s Usyk.”
Joshua avenged his defeat to Ruiz in 2019 in the exact same location with the money-spinning clash also staged in the Middle East. Wilder could look to force his way back into title contention alongside Joshua if the British star is able to beat Usyk this summer and set up an undisputed title clash with Tyson Fury.
The British star displayed a bullish defiance after his first meeting with Usyk, immediately vowing to seek redemption and activated his rematch clause. Despite previously showing reluctance to concede his gameplan backfired, Joshua has since admitted he was "bust" by Usyk in the first but is confident it is only a blip on the road to becoming undisputed champion.
"Blips happen and things happen in life but resilience, mental toughness and mental consistency will always prevail," Joshua said at a press conference to announce the fight in Saudi Arabia. "We are still on the road to undisputed for sure and it is just a blip in the road and god-willing I will become three-time heavyweight champion of the world.
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"The fight with Usyk he bust my a** for some rounds and I have to take that defeat like a man. I hold myself accountable and I am someone who can admit when I am wrong and in the fight in September I was wrong and he was right. Quite simply I have to reverse them roles on August 20. You can put me down but it is difficult to keep me down."
Joshua has since made changes to his training team after receiving widespread criticism for his tactical approach to the loss. The British heavyweight has drafted in previous coach Angel Fernandez to man his corner in place of previous long-term trainer Robert McCracken.
He has also drafted in experienced American Robert Garcia to help him prepare for the revenge mission, with Garcia also likely to be a key figure in Joshua's corner on fight night. Any win for Joshua could rekindle his long-awaited rivalry with Tyson Fury, which came tantalisingly close to taking place last year before Fury accepted a trilogy with Wilder.
