Anthony Joshua on the brink

[FILES] Anthony Joshua reflected on his heavyweight defeat to Oleksandr Usyk, who claimed the IBF, WBA and WBO titles in London

Anthony Joshua is in no position to lose tonight’s fight against Oleksandr Usyk. But the odds are stacked against him, and almost all the pundits expect him to lose the battle.

Joshua came out of Wednesday’s presser ahead of the battle looking like a guy who knows that his career, going forward, depends on today’s outcome and is determined to ensure he succeeds. But he also looks like a guy who knows that the obstacle against him is tough.

Beyond the tough talk and the play at being confident, observers say that Joshua is extremely worried.

In the build-up to today’s fight, the talk among boxing followers is that Joshua’s career will never be the same again if he comes out of it with anything other than victory.

Anthony Joshua

However, some experts say the Nigerian-born British fighter is destined to lose the battle no matter what he thinks and/or trains for the fight.

Former World Boxing Heavyweight Champion, Deontay Wilder, who, himself, has been, almost, in Joshua’s shoes, believes the fight might even be easier for Usyk than the last battle in London.

Wilder fought two fierce battles with Tyson Fury for the WBA crown, with the second in which he lost his crown rated as one of the most brutal bouts ever in boxing. Prior to that fight in Las Vegas, Wilder, just like Joshua, was rated as the underdog even though he was the champion and had come out of their second battle with his crown intact.

“A lot of time has passed and there’s been a lot of time to strategise for the second time around. They say when you fight a person you know him a little bit better the second time, even a little bit more the