Joshua says Oleksandr Usyk’s pace and conditioning will drain Rico Verhoeven during Saturday’s heavyweight title fight in Egypt

Anthony Joshua believes Oleksandr Usyk’s conditioning and ring IQ will gradually wear Rico Verhoeven down in Saturday’s heavyweight title fight at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt. The former heavyweight champion said Usyk knows how to drain opponents round by round after sharing the ring with him twice.

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“[I think] probably the same. With boxing, I think Usyk will drain his gas tank. Let’s put it in this phrase for people watching at home. Let’s say you’re playing Street Fighter and you’ve got your energy bar, Usyk knows how to make his energy go. He’ll just drain him, in my opinion,” Joshua said in a conversation with DAZN.

“I hope it goes four [rounds] or more because I want to enjoy a night of boxing.”

Joshua’s comments came after he was asked about the odds facing Verhoeven heading into the fight. Most fighters and analysts have picked Usyk to retain his WBC heavyweight title, although Verhoeven’s size and punching power have remained a talking point throughout fight week.

Joshua’s view matched the majority opinion surrounding the fight heading into Saturday night. He has spent time around Usyk’s camp in recent months while preparing for his own return against Kristian Prenga in July.

AJ is speaking from the perspective of someone who has actually been in the blender with Usyk and knows exactly what that pressure feels like.

When you look at the physical attributes, it is easy to see why someone might question if age and size will catch up to Usyk. Verhoeven is a giant; he is younger, and he has a massive athletic engine. In a standard fight, those traits are a major problem for an older champion.

But boxing is a completely different sport than kickboxing when it comes to energy distribution. Here is why Joshua’s logic holds up over any bias.