sport news Oleksandr Usyk appears even more emboldened... Anthony Joshua cannot be so ... trends now
A British giant goes into the desert here in search of redemption against a Ukrainian warrior who has his own nation and many others behind him.
If Anthony Joshua does succeed in retrieving from Olexsandr Usyk the titles he believes still belong to him he will elevate himself to the exclusive pantheon of three-time world heavyweight champions.
Should he fail his future may well be lost in the darkness shrouding these shifting sands. Destiny or despair?
A British giant goes into the desert here in search of redemption against a Ukrainian warrior
Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk appears even more emboldened than he was 11 months ago
The answer is clouded by the doubts assailing Joshua after being mesmerised into embarrassing defeat by Usyk in Tottenham last September.
Usyk appears even more emboldened than 11 months ago, when he confounded the conviction that a good big 'un always beats a good little 'un.
Size stood for nothing as the former undisputed cruiserweight champion stepped up to boxing's marquee division.
Speed kills in the hardest game. Movement maketh confusion. Courage is essential. Timing vital. Usyk is blessed with those attributes in abundance.
Anthony Joshua was mesmerised into embarrassing defeat by Usyk in Tottenham last September
What sets him above almost all previous smaller pretenders. Usyk is a master of this noble art. What makes him especially dangerous is the science he applies to his craftmanship. He is one of the prize ring's most profound technicians.
Joshua had no answer first time out. It is not beyond him to find blunt physical solutions in this rematch but only he knows if he has deciphered the equation to a complex conundrum.
Uninvited advisers urge him to overwhelm his nemesis with size, strength and power. His esteemed new trainer from America, Robert Garcia, proposes: 'controlled aggression.' What is certain that AJ cannot be so passive again. Yet a cavalry charge could be as suicidal as that of the Light Brigade.
Usyk says: 'If Anthony tries to rush me I could stop him early. I will hold the centre of the ring again, box quickly and cleverly and this time knock him out at some point. This is not a new bout. It is continuation of the first into rounds 13, 14, 15.... for as long
