Oleksandr Usyk vs Anthony Joshua 2 Prediction & Betting Props for August 20

• Betting props to watch are Joshua by TKO/KO +280 / Usyk by TKO/KO +270
• Joshua has joined forces with decorated boxing trainer Robert Garcia, he’s expected to bring a more ferocious style.
• I give my Usyk vs Joshua prediction for this highly anticipated rematch.

The colossal rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua is set for August 20th in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Billed as “Rage on the Red Sea” a location that has happy memories for AJ, as he won his rematch there against Andy Ruiz in December 2019.

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Oleksandr Usyk already proved once that he is the greatest active heavyweight last September when he defeated Anthony Joshua. Much has changed since their first fight and with that, we cover the latest betting odds for Usyk vs Joshua with predictions and props below.

Usyk vs Joshua 2 Prediction

Anthony Joshua’s key to victory here will be using his strength and power to his advantage. Much like the majority of his career in performances against Klitschko, Whyte, and Pulev, that ended more aggressively. AJ will need to block Usyk’s path by cutting off the ring, which will be a major task against the highly skilled footwork of “The Cat”

One of the questions leading into the rematch is Usyks’s mental state. After all, his country of Ukraine is in the middle of a war. This was a war that Usyk decided to take part in for a period of time before he started to prepare for the rematch against AJ. Knowing how rock solid Usyk has always been, I personally don’t see this rattling him much mentally during this fight. If anything it could light a fire under Usyk, Where we see him finishing Joshua as he got very close in the first fight.

Despite the criticism that Joshua can’t box, I believe he indeed can but it might not be his strongest attribute, especially against a technician like Usyk. Under Robert McCracken, Joshua’s style became stale and he got caught up in the basic fundamentals in the first fight that left him un-reactive to what Usky was doing. Of course, you can’t take away the brilliance of Usky’s game plan that caused AJ to freeze and look out of sorts.

AJ did his due diligence after the loss to Usky. Embarking on a journey to find a new trainer, that could enhance his approach and style to dethrone the undefeated Oleksandr Usyk. Along the way, he rubbed shoulders with Virgil Hunter, and Eddy Reynoso, and ultimately it was Robert Garcia that seemed the natural fit. While he will bring along Angel Fernandez who was once part of the original AJ team.

Robert Garcia has a proven track record of working with 14 world champions including Mikey Garcia, Marcos Maidana, and Nonito Donaire. I expect Joshua to go all chips in on Garcia’s approach of applying pressure on Usyk, following him to the ropes and hurting him early in the fight.

In the first fight, Usyk started fast with forward pressure, causing Joshua to be more hesitant and leaving himself playing catch up the entire fight. In the rematch if both fighters come out and decide to trade in the center of the ring we could be in for a highly entertaining bout, that may not make it into the later rounds.

Joshua needs to not worry about gassing and go for broke within the first three rounds. Chisora had some success against Usyk by applying this pressure. However, Usyk was able to maneuver away from Chisora, find space and answer back. if AJ can combine pressure and get his foot on the outside of Usyk’s southpaw stance, it could be a real game changer in solving the Ukrainian puzzle.

Betting Pick: Joshua by TKO/KO (+280)

Best Betting Props for Usyk vs Joshua Rematch

Oddsmakers at BetMGM and from this list of boxing betting sites we reviewed are favoring Usyk to win by decision against Joshua. At +135 that’s an implied probability of 42.5% for “The Cat” to repeat the success in the same fashion as the first fight.

Some other betting options are Joshua to win in rounds 1-6, at +600 you can bet $100 to net $600 on this prop. This will likely be AJ’s best way to win this fight, by bullying Usyk in the early rounds and aiming to end the fight early.

Lastly, Usyk to finish Joshua in the later rounds has a strong possibility. Listed at +375, netting $375 profit on a $100 wager for this betting prop.

Andy Ruiz Picks Usyk vs Joshua 2

“If Usyk doesn’t do the same thing I did (he can win), I’m sure he doesn’t because he’s been on top of the game in cruiserweight and undisputed in cruiserweight,” Ruiz told @idboxingnews.

“I think it could go either way. I know Anthony Joshua has a new trainer in Robert Garcia, he’s over there trying to show him the Mexican style to be aggressive, throw a lot of punches, to be first, to come at him.

“But Usyk is an awkward fighter, he’s an awkward lefty fighter, it’s why we picked a lefty as well in case we have to go through Usyk.

Stay tuned to Betting Insider Journal for the latest Usyk vs Joshua 2 odds, betting picks and more.