Anthony Joshua vs Oleksandr Usyk press conference LIVE: Heavyweights meet ahead of Saturday’s fight

The Briton and the Ukrainian came face-to-face ahead of Friday’s weigh-in

(Sky Sports)

Thursday saw the final press conference ahead of Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk’s clash for the unified world heavyweight titles.

The mouthwatering dust-up, which will be for the IBF, WBA and WBO heavyweight titles, is set to take place at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday. It promises to be a thrilling night in London and, just over 48 hours away from the bout, champion Joshua and the undefeated Ukrainian came face-to-face for the first time since the contest was made.

Neither man is notorious for trash talking their opponents, and both remained largely composed and respectful on Thursday. Joshua came out with the comments most resembling fighting talk, however, saying, “You guys will be coming out to watch me hit a live bodybag,” and “if you told me I was fighting King Kong, I’d give it a go.”

Many are calling Usyk too small to deal with a heavyweight the size of Joshua. Others are saying the former undisputed cruiserweight champion possesses the boxing skill and nimbleness needed to frustrate the Briton and cause a seismic upset.

The real build-up started on Thursday as we got a good look at both fighters. Re-live updates from the press conference ahead of Friday’s weigh-in:

Joshua vs Usyk final press conference

• Joshua defends world heavyweight titles against Usyk on Saturday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
• AJ returns to ring after knocking out Pulev last December
• Usyk, unbeaten at 18-0, looking to become a two-weight world champion after undisputed reign at cruiserweight
• Ukrainian has won both heavyweight fights since moving up in weight and outpointed Derek Chisora last October

[23 September 2021 14:25 · Dylan Terry]

Joshua-Usyk press conference

We’re just going around the various people who we have not come here to listen to. The managers, broadcasters, promoters, managers all have their say.

I will bring you the clips of Joshua and Usyk speaking when something interesting is actually said.

[23 September 2021 14:21 · Dylan Terry]

Joshua-Usyk press conference

Hearn reads out Joshua’s resume, his last 12 fights to be more precise. “Show me a resume that even compares,” he says.

A little message to a certain Mr Fury, perhaps?

[23 September 2021 14:18 · Dylan Terry]

Joshua-Usyk press conference

Here’s the pair meeting for the very first time...

[23 September 2021 14:17 · Dylan Terry]

Joshua-Usyk press conference

Here come the fighters! Incidentally, Usyk wearing a red suit with a brown waistcoat. Joshua in his usual Under Armour tracksuit.

[23 September 2021 14:15 · Dylan Terry]

Joshua-Usyk press conference

Eddie Hearn begins with the usual introductions. It looks as though Usyk is doing some sudoku/crunching some numbers. Looks completely uninterested, the Ukrainian.

He is known for taking this approach to press conferences.

[23 September 2021 14:10 · Dylan Terry]

Usyk in The Joker suit?

Oleksandr Usyk has just arrived in the building. We are yet to properly catch a glimpse of him, but it looked as though he was wearing a red Joker suit?!

This press conference may well have just gotten interesting!

[23 September 2021 14:06 · Dylan Terry]

Joshua details ‘old school’ training plan to ‘hurt’ Usyk ahead of heavyweight showdown

Anthony Joshua has revealed he has used an ‘old school’ style of training in a bid to ‘hurt’ Oleksandr Usyk on Saturday night.

Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: “I’m in there with the ultimate aim of winning. My goal is to either hurt you or beat you until I get the win.

“Whether it’s the right hand, the uppercut or the jab? As long as it leads to a win. I could box on the front foot or the back foot. There is no real strategy except for winning.”

Opening up about the specifics of his training plan to beat Usyk, he then added: “No pads. Heavy bag work and a lot of sparring. But not really the mitts. Old school Rocky Marciano style.”

[23 September 2021 14:01 · Dylan Terry]

How will Joshua approach press conference?

Anthony Joshua is not well-known for his trash talk in press conferences. He almost always takes a cautious approach when talking to the press.

Will today be the same? Maybe he will say something to provoke Usyk in a bid to draw him out a little more in the fight?

Here’s hoping...

[23 September 2021 13:57 · Dylan Terry]

How much will the fighters earn?

Joshua is expected to earn £15million for the fight against Usyk, per the Mirror. That is significantly more than he earned against Kubrat Pulev nine months ago when he was forced to fight in front of just 1,000 fans due to coronavirus restrictions.

This time he will step into the ring in front of 63,000 spectators inside the newly-built Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

However, the purse for this fight will still be a far cry from the £66m he took home after the Andy Ruiz Jr rematch in Saudi Arabia. A great deal of that purse was down to the site fee the Saudis put up to stage the event.

It is also considerably less than the £200m that he was expected to earn for a two-fight deal with WBC champion Tyson Fury.

Meanwhile, Usyk is expected to earn around £3m for the fight, a figure that could rise to as high as £5m depending on how well the pay-per-view does on Sky Sports.

The Ukrainian made around $2.5m for his last fight, which was also on PPV, against another Briton in Dereck Chisora.

[23 September 2021 13:52 · Dylan Terry]

Spurs getting ready for heavyweight dust-up

The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is being prepared for the huge event that is set to take place there on Saturday night.

As many as 63,000 fans will be packed into Spurs’ ground to witness AJ defend his world titles against Usyk.

It promises to be a spectacular occasion.