By Victor Kanayo
Nigeria-British born Anthony Joshua weighed in 23lbs heavier than champion Oleksandr Usyk for Saturday’s heavyweight world title rematch in Saudi Arabia.
Ukrainian Usyk was tipped to come in at a career-heaviest weight, but just about matched the previous fight by weighing in at 15st 11lbs (100.5kg).
Joshua, 32, came in at 17st 6lbs (110.9kg) with neither man showing any sign of nerves in the final face-off.
Usyk’s WBA (Super), WBO and IBF titles are on the line in Jeddah.
He is fractionally heavier than his last fight with Joshua when he weighed in at 220lbs, while Joshua is about 4lbs heavier.
Joshua cut a focused figure during the weigh-in, and the two-time world champion insisted there was nothing to glean from the final staredown.
Many commentators have written off Joshua after a hesitant showing against the quick and skillful Usyk at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last September.
But the 6ft 6ins (1.98m) Watford man, who is striving to become a three-time world champion, has promised to be more “competitive”.
Promoter Eddie Hearn has suggested Joshua will go for the knock-out.
Saturday’s clash will be the 12th consecutive world title fight for Joshua, the 24-2 former Olympic gold-medallist whose other professional defeat was a shock TKO by Andy Ruiz Jr in June 2019.
Joshua avenged that loss six months later in the “Clash of the Dunes” in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, the first heavyweight world title fight in the conservative kingdom.
Saudi Arabia has invested heavily in sports, including Formula One, Premier League football team Newcastle United and the LIV Golf tour, a controversial rival to the traditional circuits.
