Anthony Joshua vs. Oleksandr Usyk First Look: Boxing Odds, Betting Picks and Predictions

Heavyweight boxing returns to England for a highly anticipated boxing pay-per-view event. The WBO, WBA, and IBF Heavyweight Championships will be on the line when Anthony Joshua takes on Oleksandr Usyk in the main event.

Read on for our complete betting guide taking a first look at Joshua vs. Usyk, including our free expert boxing betting predictions. Let's take a look at this boxing odds.

Anthony Joshua vs. Oleksandr Usyk

WBO, WBA, and IBF Heavyweight Main Event Bout

Saturday, September 25, 2021 - 11:00 PM EDT at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Anthony Joshua (24-1-0, 22 KOs)

Owning a 91.67% knockout-to-win ratio, if you’re unaware of the name Anthony Joshua, you’ve must’ve been residing under a rock. The 31-year-old British heavyweight boxer has been around the globe to display his skills as a professional since 2013.

In 2012, he captured an Olympic gold medal and became a professional and held the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight championships.

Andy Ruiz shocked the world and defeated Joshua in 2018, but Joshua's fighting spirit and elite skills quickly resumed the position in 2019 following a successful rematch.

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Outside of this 2018 result, Joshua’s record is unblemished, and it hasn’t been close.

Despite Anthony Joshua’s dominance, he’s ranked as the world’s second-best active heavyweight because of Tyson Fury’s accolades. The inevitable clash between the worlds greatest heavyweight boxers in Fury and Joshua will come to fruition, but first, they must defeat the opposition in front of them.

Anthony Joshua Boxing Accomplishments

Two-time Unified Heavyweight Champion(WBA, IBF, WBO, and IBO Titles)Regional British and Commonwealth Heavyweight Champion (2015-2016)Olympic Gold Medallist(2012)

Best Available Odds: (visit our Sportsbook Review)

Anthony Joshua punches Kubrat Pulev during their heavyweight world title match. Photo by Andrew Couldridge/Pool/AFP

Oleksandr Usyk (18-0, 13 KOs)

Ukrainian native Oleksandr Usyk isn’t just another mandatory opponent for Anthony Joshua, as the accomplishments under his belt aren’t easily obtained. If anybody can derail the Joshua vs Fury hype, it would be Usyk.

Much like his opponent, an Olympic gold medal was the beginning of a remarkable professional career.

He became the first cruiserweight in boxing history to simultaneously hold the four major world championships (WBA, WBC, IBF, and WBO).

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Usyk is most known for the speed in which he rose through the rankings, winning his first world title within ten professional bouts and becoming the undisputed cruiserweight champion by his fifteenth contest.

He eventually vacated his titles in this weight class and moved to heavyweight in 2019; he was 16-0 and already wiped the floor with five current or former world champions.

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Oleksandr Usyk Boxing Accomplishments

Unified Cruiserweight Champion(WBA, WBC, IBF, and WBO)Winner of the 2011 World ChampionshipsOlympic Gold Medallist(2012)

Best Available Odds:

How Can Usyk Win?

Many questions are surrounding Usyk’s heavyweight venture, such as his size and power for the division. Although, a key advantage he holds when competing with AJ is a southpaw stance.

It’ll be intriguing to witness how AJ handles the intelligent boxing of Usyk, who, dare I say – is the more technically sound of the two.

Usyk celebrates his gold medal over Clemente Russo of Italy in the Heavyweight (91kg) of the 2012 London Olympic Game. AFP photo/Jack Guez

As we witnessed when Usyk fought Chisora, he was easily outpowered and muscled during the first half of the fight. But the patience and longevity of the lighterman eventually paid off.

AJ has looked sluggish and becomes lethargic during the later rounds, a position in the fight where Usyk could undoubtedly capitalize on.

The footwork, endurance, and elusiveness from a southpaw stance are the main factors that could cause Joshua issues, alongside a solid chin which is the most vital commodity in the heavyweight division.

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How Can Joshua Win?

AJ boasts a simple but highly effective boxing style. The term “boxing fundamentals” could describe what he does better than anybody. A robust solid lead jab is the perfect setup for power shots.

His right hand will stay close to his chin – fending off the incoming hooks while bobbing in and out or circling motion to maintain distance from the opposition.

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Standing at six foot and six inches, he’s going to tower over Usyk and should easily dictate this fight at a distance.

Joshua’s jab is often overlooked but will be the crucial weapon this weekend. It’ll set up his power right, and he’ll use his typical 1-2 to keep the pressure and force a ranged fight whenever he oversteps into the pocket.

Anthony Joshua vs. Oleksandr Usyk Betting Picks

The available odds at Sportsbook Review are fair, and if anything, there is slight value on Joshua. I don’t believe Usyk’s chin has been tested by anybody with the power of Joshua. An 18 stone frame versus the natural 14 stone frame of Usyk won’t farewell for the Ukrainian.

With that said, I prefer the available odds on this fight to end inside the distance for my boxing pick. If Usyk does avoid the heavy shots of Joshua between rounds 1-8, Joshua’s cardio could be the upset in later rounds.

Boxing Pick: (visit our Sportsbook Review)

*The pick reflects the line at the moment the writer made the play, the odds at the beginning of this article show the live line movement. Since the lines might vary, don’t forget to refer back to our live odds.