ANTHONY JOSHUA will stop former undisputed cruiserweight king Oleksandr Usyk within six rounds of their Tottenham tussle.
The Watford warrior will defend his unified heavyweight titles against the undefeated Ukrainian next month at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Slick southpaw Usyk has been tipped to give AJ one of the toughest tests of his career, but ex-heavyweight champ David Haye reckons Josh will tame The Cat before the halfway point of the bout.
The former WBA titleholder told SecondsOut: “AJ knocks Usyk out very conclusively.
“Left, right, jab, right cross that puts Usyk down or out, and then it’s done. 100% inside six rounds.
“If it does go past six rounds, it’s because AJ wants it to go past six rounds. Yes, and because of what I saw of AJ in the Pulev fight.”
Joshua, 31, hasn’t set foot inside the ring since his ninth-round destruction of Bulgarian bruiser Kubrat Pulev last December.
Haye was thoroughly impressed with AJ’s patience that night at the SSE Wembley Arena and reckons he’ll use it to devastating effect against Usyk.
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He added: “That Pulev fight told me where AJ is right now in terms of patience-wise, and he’s in his prime now.
“The same way Andrew Golota seemed like he was a danger to Lennox Lewis prior to their fight because he had a couple of tough fights with Riddick Bowe.
“No, Lennox went, ‘there are levels to this game.’ Bing, bing, bing, bing, go to sleep.
“That’s exactly what AJ is going to do [against Usyk].
“He’s going to go out there, ‘You’re a tricky southpaw and Olympic champion, good for you.
Inside six rounds
David Haye’s prediction for Anthony Joshua vs Oleksandr Usyk
“Undisputed cruiserweight champion.’ Bang, bang, bang, bang, go to sleep, and that’s going to be pretty brutal.”
Joshua is champing at the bit to share the ring with his fellow Olympic gold medallist but doesn’t plan to engage him in an all-out war.
He told Sky Sports: “Movement means you are never stationery to get hit. Movement is important.
“Concentration – when you want to [punch], you lock in, then make a move. You have to make sure your brain works.
“That can be mentally fatiguing so I am sharpening the mind so that I can concentrate for the 12 rounds.
“Also I practice having the ability to [punch] four times, not just once. Concentrate, take your time, pin him down.
“It’s a fight for the brain. Knowing what you’ve got in front of you and knowing how to deal with it.
“You can either be aggressive, corner [him], throw everything at it. Or take your time, be clever, then knock [him] out.”
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Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
