Tagged ‘Rage on the Red Sea’, Anthony Joshua’s title rematch against Oleksandr Usyk at the King Abdullah Sports City Arena in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Saturday (today) is easily the most anticipated heavyweight fight of the year.
And just like the biblical Moses and the Israelites were faced with an obstacle at the Red Sea that would determine their future, Joshua now faces a similar scenario in his own ‘Red Sea’.
This is a hugely significant fight for Joshua.
It’s a must-win fight for the two-time heavyweight champion as he faces Usyk in a bid to recapture the WBO, WBA, and IBF heavyweight titles he lost to the Ukrainian in London last September.
“That’s it. Must win. I like the pressure,” Joshua said. “It’s been tough. (Now) just get the job done. Instinct, stay focused, get the job done, God willing, victorious.
“It’s competition. I’ve got goals I want to achieve in the ring on the night. That’s competition with myself.”
Should he lose a second time in a row, making it three losses in his last five fights, it would have dire consequences for him in terms of ranking, marketability and his reputation.
Joshua described the rematch as the biggest fight of his professional career saying; “I’ve got to take this one the most serious.”
Ukrainian Usyk is a brilliant boxer, a genuine pound-for-pound contender.
That was clearly evident in their first bout last September and it could be an even easier night’s work for Usyk in Jeddah, where he is fancied to stop his challenger.
Usyk is inspired by competition too and insists he’ll be up for the fight once again.
He said, “We were born to compete for life, for belts, for everything.
“The one who does not compete does not live.
“All our lives are competition, for anything, for something, for somebody, that’s why we are competing.”
But Ruiz Jr refused to go down without a fight. A left hook connected with Joshua’s temple, scrambling his senses as the favourite fell to a knee.
Now Joshua was the one badly hurt, and he went down again in the final seconds of the round after another barrage of punches from Ruiz Jr.
It was only a matter of time before Joshua went down again, and in round seven he hit the canvas twice more. Referee Michael Griffin did not like Joshua’s response after the second knockdown and waved off the contest, bringing an end to his world title reign.
The second time he met Ruiz, however, Joshua looked edgy but focused, knowing that he could not afford to make the same errors again.
He briefly wobbled Ruiz Jr with a sharp right hand in the opening round, and momentarily sensed an opportunity for an early night. Like in their first fight, though, Ruiz Jr fired back, and Joshua had to reset. He had to curb his natural instincts to finish the job, and instead gradually break his opponent down.
Round by round, Joshua took control. He established the jab early, kept on the move so that he didn’t offer Ruiz Jr a stationary target, and refused to trade up close.
As the final bell rang, there was only one winner. Joshua had shown a different side to his craft, keeping calm under pressure and carrying out a game plan exactly. He was back on top of the world.
Joshua looked more focused and at the top of his game right from the start on his last visit to Saudi Arabia.