Following today’s official weigh-in for tomorrow’s heavyweight title rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua, Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn gives his impression about Usyk not weighing in really any heavier than he did for the last fight, despite so much talk about that in the build up.
Hearn on Usyk’s weigh-in
“I expected him to come in heavier,” Hearn told iFL TV. “It’s been a lot of talk about it, I got that wrong before. I expected him to come in heavier. AJ, perfect, bang on...so he’s 10 kilos heavier than Usyk, which is 23 pounds. It’s not far off two stone. And I said to AJ, ‘look, you’re up there, you’ve got to take this guy to hell. Look at him.’ Don’t get me wrong, he’s a pound-for-pound #1, he’s a tremendous fighter, but look at him! You’ve got to smash that body to pieces. And he will go for it tomorrow night.
“We’ve all been on this journey and it’s going to be really nerve-wracking and he’s going to be very emotional before the fight, during the fight, after the fight — whichever way it goes. But that’s what we live for.”
On if he’s still confident Joshua will knockout Usyk in this rematch
“I’ve always known how difficult this fight was...I know how good Usyk is, but I know AJ can stop him, if he boxes in the right way, if he boxes with that ferocity as we said. And I look at the two and I know he can knock this guy out. I know all he’s got to do is hurt him. And once he hurts him he’s one of the best finishers in the sport...if he gets it right, if he lands those shots, he will take him out.”
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