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Challenger Usyk: 350 amateur fights, 335 wins
Photo: Ronny Hartmann / Bongarts / Getty Images
The term duty can have different connotations in sport. When favorites meet underdogs, one speaks of compulsory tasks - such as the 3-1 success of FC Bayern on Friday evening with promoted Greuther Fürth. It's different in boxing. As well as voluntarily defending their titles against opponents they are allowed to choose, world champions usually have to compete once a year against a mandatory challenger who is ordered by the association. So duty is at least potentially the more complicated task. It offers those boxers a chance for the world title that the champions preferred to avoid.
On Saturday evening, the British heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua has to defend his belt collection against the Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk (10:15 p.m., stream: DAZN). Usyk describes himself as "the most feared heavyweight boxer". That speaks above all for his hubris; after all, the top class of boxing with Joshua, Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder is just as strong as it has been for a long time. Still, it's no secret that Joshua would actually have liked to avoid the fight against Usyk.
The 34-year-old Ukrainian has won all of his 18 professional fights and was world cruiserweight champion for four years.
In July 2018 he even managed to unite the world championship belts of all four major associations (IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO).
After defeating every well-known opponent in the weight class up to 90.72 kilograms, Usyk decided to move up to the heavyweight division - and thus to attack three-time world champion Joshua, who holds the IBF, WBA and WBO titles.
The broken battle of the century
Actually, the fight between Joshua and Usyk should be a world event.
After all, two of the best boxers of their generation are fighting for the crown in the premier class at the peak of their creative powers.
How much more can you ask for?
And yet many fans and experts see the duel only as a kind of boxing methadone.
A substitute drug for the fight they wanted to see.
Joshua had already agreed on a title union with WBC world champion Tyson Fury.
The contracts were signed, actually the two Brits should have faced each other on August 14th to choose an undisputed world champion for the first time since Lennox Lewis in 2000.
But a US court banned the mega-event because Fury had to compete against former American champion Deontay Wilder for the third time.
The boxing community felt cheated out of the alleged battle of the century - and overlooked the fact that they might see a much better duel with Joshua against Usyk.
Both opponents have excellent technical training and were successful amateurs before they switched to the professional camp.
At the Olympic Games in London in 2012, both won the gold medal - the Ukrainian in the heavyweight division, the Briton in the super heavyweight division.
Joshua is a bit taller and hits harder, but Usyk is faster, more agile and the even better and more experienced boxer.
He lost only 15 of 350 amateur fights, a surreal result.
Size is not everything
Nevertheless, Joshua climbs into the ring as a slight favorite.
The British ex-world champion David Haye even sees his compatriot at a clear advantage.
"He [Joshua] will use his beautiful jab, his size, range and punching power advantages," believes Haye, who predicts a "devastating" knockout defeat for Usyk.
These are remarkably clear words from Haye, who should know very well that size, range and punch are not everything in boxing.
After all, he himself had risen to the heavyweight division as a former cruiserweight world champion and dethroned WBA champion Nikolai Valuev in November 2009.
A man more than eight inches taller than himself.
