Boxing

EDDIE HEARN has been left stunned by Oleksandr Usyk’s insane body transformation – but he’s still backing Anthony Joshua to do a number on him in their Saudi showdown.The unified heavyweight champion has put on several pounds of muscle since teaching AJ a boxing lesson in their Tottenham tussle last September.
Oleksandr Usyk will renew his rivalry with Anthony Joshua in Saudi next weekCredit: GETTY
Usyk has put on a considerable amount of size since his first clash with AJCredit: MATCHROOM BOXING
Usyk has reportedly put on 15 kilosCredit: INSTAGRAM
Eddie Hearn has been left stunned by the champ’s body transformationCredit: REUTERS
And the 35-year-old’s new hulking physique – which no longer looks like that of a puffed-up cruiserweight – has astounded Hearn.
When asked about the Ukrainian’s new frame, the Matchroom Boxing chief told Boxing Social: “He looks really big!”
Usyk put on a boxing masterclass in his first clash with Joshua to claim the WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO heavyweight titles.
The slick southpaw effortlessly danced around the Watford warrior and picked his shots beautifully under the bright lights of Spurs stadium.
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But Hearn is expecting a more aggressive approach from the beefed-up defending champion next weekend, saying: “I expect him [Usyk] to try and walk AJ down.”
Joshua, 32, has teamed up with multiple world champion coach Robert Garcia to exact revenge on the undefeated Usyk.
And Hearn believes the golden boy of British boxing will get the job done before the fight goes over the halfway point.
He said: “I think this fight will be over in six rounds. I think it’s going to be a war.”
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“I don’t think Usyk wants to be walked down by AJ, to box off the back foot against an aggressive Anthony Joshua.
“I expect him to be aggressive, and I think he’s going to get knocked out.”
Two-time unified champion Joshua paid the price for timidly trying to outbox his fellow London 2012 Olympian but insists he won’t make the same mistake again.
He said: “The goal now is to go back to basics and go for the knockout.
“I always feel, when I’m sparring or fighting people, I actually see their spirit get dampened.
“Honestly, when you’re looking at this person directly in their eyes and watching their body, you can read the body and punch after punch this person is slowly fading.
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“Now when you’re boxing, the art of boxing is to hit and not get hit. So you’re kind of boxing to stay away. That’s not really my style.
“My style is to be up close and personal and make it difficult for the person. So that’s the game plan.”
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ANTHONY JOSHUA’s “mentality” won’t be changed by new coach Robert Garcia.AJ appointed the multiple-time world champion coach as his lead trainer following his brutal axing of mentor Robert McCracken after his lopsided points defeat to Usyk last September.
Anthony Joshua has handed the coachings reigns to American Robert GarciaCredit: PA
Joshua axed coach Robert McCracken after his wide points defeat to Oleksandr UsykCredit: REUTERS
Usyk’s promoter Alexander Krassuyk doesn’t believe Garcia will be able to change Joshua’s mentalityCredit: INSTAGRAM@ALEXKRASSYUK
The pair have been cooking up an aggressive game plan for AJ’s Saudi showdown with the unified heavyweight champion on Saturday week for the best part of a year.
But Usyk’s promoter Alexander Krassyuk believes Garcia won’t be able to instil a new mindset in the Brit, saying: “Robert Garcia is a very well known, very determined and professional trainer.

“And he has great experience in bringing guys to success, but he does not have experience with heavyweights.
“But that does not matter much because you cannot teach AJ anything new because he’s more than 30 years old.
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“It’s more about bringing out his advantages, pushing down his weaknesses. Mentality cannot be changed by a trainer.
“Your mentality is something you receive when you’re born and is formed in your family, in your childhood, at school and at college.
“This is what forms your mentality; your teachers, your friends, your relatives. When you’re 30-years-old, like AJ, you have a completely formed mentality.”
Although Krassyuk doesn’t foresee AJ significantly changing his mentality, he’s refusing to rule out the Watford warrior’s chances of reclaiming the belts.
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He continued: “So I don’t think this is a big chance he can change much in mentality, but it does not mean Joshua has no chance.”
Joshua, 32, tried to outbox Usyk in their sold-out Tottenham tussle but plans to get back to his old aggressive ways in their desert dust-up.
He said: “The goal now is to go back to basics and go for the knockout.
“I always feel, when I’m sparring or fighting people, I actually see their spirit get dampened.
“Honestly, when you’re looking at this person directly in their eyes and watching their body, you can read the body and punch after punch this person is slowly fading.
“Now when you’re boxing, the art of boxing is to hit and not get hit. So you’re kind of boxing to stay away. That’s not really my style.
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“My style is to be up close and personal and make it difficult for the person. So that’s the game plan.”
This story is in association with Vegas Insider.
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OLEKSANDR USYK has left no stone unturned ahead of his rematch with Anthony Joshua – but he recently left his team stunned with an insane swimming session.The unified heavyweight champion has been working out THREE TIMES a day during his Dubai training camp for his maiden title defence.
Oleksandr Usyk will face Anthony Joshua in a rematch in Saudi next SaturdayCredit: PA
The Ukrainian has beefed up ahead of the Saudi showdownCredit: MATCHROOM BOXING
But the defending champion’s swimming antics have left his coaches stunned.Credit:
Swimming has been a staple of Uysk’s training for years, although he astounded former opponent Derek Chisora and his team by performing lengths in the pool for FIVE HOURS during a recent trip to a Russian bathhouse.
Del Boy said: “The owner told me to wait because he had a surprise.
“I sat down and all I heard was, ‘Derek, Deeeerrrrrek.’ Just like he kept saying during the build-up to our fight.
“I started talking and laughing with him and I told him he looked tired. He then told me he had just finished swimming for five hours.
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“I told him he was lying, he couldn’t swim for five hours.
“But his trainer told me it was true and then showed me a video of him in this huge Olympic pool just going up and down for five hours.”
Usyk’s gruelling training sessions over the last year have seen him pack on several pounds of muscle.
The undefeated Ukrainian tipped the scales at a solid 100kg (224.5lbs) for his Tottenham tussle with AJ last September – which he won via unanimous decision.
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But judging from his recent training pictures, he’ll be a few kilos heavier for next Saturday’s Saudi showdown.
Former unified light-welterweight champion Amir Khan recently caught up with Usyk in Dubai and recently claimed the southpaw told him he’s put on a whopping 15 kilos.
Khan told SecondsOut: “He looks a lot bigger.
“I mean he was telling me that he’s put on an extra 15 kilos since he last fought AJ, so, we’re going to see how much strength he’s going to be having.
“He looks like a full-on natural heavyweight. He is big and looks very strong.
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“He nowhere near looked like a cruiserweight he looked like a nice full blown-up heavyweight, he was strong at the weight, when he was hitting the pads and stuff and you can see the definition on his body.
“He’s very thick and you can see it’s solid muscle that he’s got.” More