Anthony Joshua Needs To Be Aggressive And Let His Hands Go To Defeat Oleksandr Usyk, Eddie Hearn Says

Eddie Hearn believes Anthony Joshua needs to be aggressive if he’s going to beat Oleksandr Usyk in the rematch.

Joshua suffered a decision loss to Usyk last September to lose his heavyweight title as Usyk was clearly leading the dance and cruised to a win. Now, ahead of the rematch, Hearn believes Joshua needs to let his hands go to lead to more damage which will lead to winning the rounds.

“I don’t think you can just be aggressive against Oleksandr Usyk, but you certainly have to be aggressive. He has to let his hands go more. He has to damage Oleksandr Usyk whenever he can and he has to get him out of his rhythm,” Hearn told The Sun. “I don’t think Oleksandr Usyk likes getting hit. I don’t think he liked getting hit first in the first fight and he didn’t get hit much. So AJ has got to take the chances when they present themselves and he’s got to be smarter. But he’s got to let his hands go.

“I think this fight will be a lot more exciting than the first because AJ has shared 12 rounds with Usyk,” Hearn added. “And he understands the skills he and the attributes of Oleksandr Usyk and he has to negate that with his assets. Which is his power, speed and combination punching. Easier said than done. But certainly, I believe you’re going to see a much more aggressive Anthony Joshua in this fight.”

The stakes are high for Joshua here as he looks to reclaim his heavyweight titles. If he does that, then perhaps the Tyson Fury fight can come to fruition but for now, the focus remains on Usyk and reclaiming his belts.

Do you think Anthony Joshua will beat Oleksandr Usyk in the rematch?