12 lBOXING NEWSlJUNE 27, 2019 http://www.boxingnewsonline.netLong overdue a world title shot,
Whyte must now wonder if he
made the right call when turning
down the chance to fight Anthony
Joshua at Wembley in April. Takes
on the dangerous Oscar Rivas
on July 20 in a risky bout that
promoter Eddie Hearn hopes will
lead to an immediate shot at WBC
champion, Deontay Wilder.
Yet to fight in the division since
relinquishing his cruiserweight
titles. Even so, with those supreme
skills, visions of the slick and
spiteful Usyk bedazzling allcomers
are easy to conjure. However, the
southpaw, newly installed as the
WBO mandatory contender, will
have to overcome some serious size
disadvantages.The perennial contender is
unbeaten since being knocked out
by Wladimir Klitschko in 2014.
Technically sound and hard to beat,
the IBF mandatory contender won’t
be at the top of any heavyweight’s
hit list. Even so, he’s fading, and, at
38, probably only one loss away
from being dramatically relegated
to gatekeeper status.Scored a minor upset in January
when he stopped Bryant Jennings
in 12 rounds to set up the
intriguing summer showdown with
Dillian Whyte. Far from flawless,
the Colombian will come to fight
nonetheless and carries the kind
of power and engine that should
worry his opponent. Don’t write off
another Rivas surprise.DILLIAN WHYTE
England, 31 years old, 25-1 (18)
OLEKSANDR USYK
Ukraine, 32 years old, 16-0 (12)KUBRAT PULEV
Bulgaria, 38 years old, 27-1 (14)OSCAR RIVAS
Colombia, 32 years old, 26-0 (18)LAST FIGHT:
In a wake-up call of the ages, Joshua
was handed a humbling seventh
round beating by Andy Ruiz Jnr. In the
aftermath, there were conspiracy theories
aplenty, ranging from him having a full-
blown panic attack before the fight to
being allowed to box while concussed
(after supposedly getting knocked out
in sparring). The reality, even if he was
hurt in training, is likely that he was over-
confident, too carefree, and was beaten
fair and square by the hungrier fighter.
NEXT FIGHT:
Hopes to rematch Ruiz in November or
December, either in the UK or the USA.
BEST ATTRIBUTE:
Fast, powerful hands and, when going
forward, he can be formidable. Those
who claim Joshua was ‘out of it’ long
before the opening bell sounded against
Ruiz should perhaps rewatch the start
of round three when “AJ” put Ruiz
down from two superbly crafted shots.
Rediscovering the focus that drove him to
the top in the first place could turn out to
be his biggest advantage from here on in.
WORST ATTRIBUTE:
His survival instincts are lacking. When
in trouble, he does not fight well on the
inside, he does not seem able to hold
and buy some time. And he’ll likely be
saddled with having dodgy whiskers for
the rest of his career, even if he’s never
dropped again.
TRAINER:
The excellent Robert McCracken has
guided Joshua a long, long way. He’s the
best man to get the heavyweight back to
his best.
COULD COME UNSTUCK AGAINST:
Exceptionally risky to go straight back
in with Ruiz. It wasn’t a one-punch
knockout that can be written off as a
fluke, it was a harrowing beatdown.
Another loss would be catastrophic.
HALL OF FAME BOUND?
Not at the moment. But if he flattens Ruiz
in the return, he’s back on the right track.ANTHONY JOSHUA
England, 29 years old, 22-1 (21)