Heavyweight world champion Oleksandr Usyk and challenger Anthony Joshua held their final news conference on Wednesday (August 17) just days out from their highly anticipated rematch in Jeddah on Saturday (August 20).
Usyk beat Joshua in front of a sell-out crowd at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last September to take the WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO belts.
The Ukrainian reigning champion said the bout was an important one for his war-torn country and that he expects to continue where he left off in the previous fight.
“I don’t think it’s going to be the new bout. The last bout will be continued for the round 13, 14, 15 and whatever it’s going to last. We had enough time to study each other, and this Saturday night will be a great, great fight,” said Usyk.
The 32-year-old Briton, who now has a new trainer in American former super-featherweight world champion Robert Garcia, described the rematch as a must-win and that he was trusting the process.
“That’s it, must-win, just get the job done, stay focused and God-willing, we’re victorious, I’ve got goals that I want to achieve in the ring on the night, and I’m going to be disciplined enough and follow them through, About the belts, they mean something but that’s all at the end of the target, so, it’s not like I’m skipping the process, I’m focused on the process,” said Joshua.
Dubbed the Rage on the Red Sea, the fight will be hosted at Jeddah’s King Abdullah Sports City Arena.
