Oleksandr Usyk vs. Anthony Joshua II Betting Preview

A best bet and analysis for the rematch between SI Sportsbook favorite and heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk versus Anthony Joshua.

Author:
Doug Vazquez
Publish date:
Aug 19, 2022

Oleksandr Usyk will make his return to the ring after joining the front lines for Ukraine’s military after the nation was invaded by Russia.

His opponent in Anthony Joshua will be attempting to keep his name among the top heavyweights in the world in a fight that many believe could be a make-or-break bout for his career. Usyk will be putting his WBA, IBF, IBO and WBO titles on the line and comes in as the heavy favorite (-188) at SI Sportsbook over Joshua (+170).

Usyk won the first fight Sept. 25, 2021, via unanimous decision to win the titles.

Bet on Usyk-Joshua II at SI Sportsbook

Heavyweight boxers Britain’s Anthony Joshua, center right, and Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk, center left, face off during a weigh-in at King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Friday, Aug. 19, 2022. Joshua is due to fight defending champion Usyk in a heavyweight boxing rematch in Jeddah on Aug. 20. — Hassan Ammar/AP

Oleksandr Usyk vs. Anthony Joshua II

Date: Saturday August 20, 2022
Time: 12 p.m. ET
Main event ringwalk: 5:30 p.m. ET approximately

Oleksandr Usyk (-188) vs. Anthony Joshua (+170); WBA, IBF, IBO and WBO heavyweight titles
Filip Hrgovic (-1613) vs. Zhilei Zhang (+660); IBF world heavyweight title eliminator
Callum Smith (-1205) vs. Mathieu Bauderlique (+600)
Badou Jack (-450) vs. Richard Rivera (+330)
Ramla Ali (-4000) vs. Crystal Garcia Nova (+1800)
Andrew Tabiti (-2000) vs. James Wilson (+825)
Ben Whittaker (-5000) vs. Petar Nosic (+2200)
Daniel Lapin (-3333) vs. Jozef Jurko (+1600)
Bader Al Samreen (-2000) vs. Faud Taverd (+1000)

I don’t think this fight is going to go very well for Joshua. Usyk comes into this fight looking extremely prepared and focused, and the added motivation for being an inspiration for Ukraine will be too much for Joshua to overcome.

Joshua was able to make it to the scorecards in the first card, losing by unanimous decision. I don’t see this one going the distance and think the smart wager would be to grab the plus-money bet with +200 odds with Usyk coming away with a knockout somewhere in the middle rounds.