May has been penciled in as a possible fight date, but again, no ink has been signed to paper just yet. Nonetheless, a lack of date hasn’t stopped the best online sportsbooks from setting Joshua-Usyk fight odds. At the moment, here’s the moneyline betting line:
Popular boxing betting sites have pulled a complete 180-degree turn from the first fight. Back then, Joshua was roughly a -270 favorite, while Usyk was priced in the +220 range. Why the complete flip? We’ll allow us to explain:
Usyk vs. Joshua 2 Preview
Before we preview the Usyk-Joshua rematch, we must remember how the first fight turned out — a largely one-sided masterclass. In September of last year, Usyk became the unified heavyweight champion of the world with a unanimous decision victory over Joshua. The judges' scorecards finished at 117-112, 116-112, and 115-113.
In many respects, Usyk’s win that night was a shock to the boxing world. The former cruiserweight champion was thought by many to be “out of his league” at heavyweight. On paper, it looked that way as Joshua had a three-inch and 20-pound advantage over the Ukrainian. Another hindrance to Usyk was supposed to be the fight location — at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in front of a sold-out, pro-Joshua crowd. Then there was the age factor, as 34 years old, Usyk isn’t exactly “spring chicken.”
In the end, none of it mattered. Usyk was the aggressor most of the fight and rarely stopped moving. His superior footwork and hand speed were on full display throughout. Joshua did rally mid-fight, but Usyk found an “extra gear” towards the end of the fight, upping his output somehow, someway.
The final fight stats clearly favored Usyk too. He landed 148-of-529 blows, opposed to 123-of-641 for Joshua. The same trend played out in power punches, where Usyk landed at a 44-percent clip (96 of 220) compared to Joshua’s 33 percent (71 of 214). Like we said before, Usyk put on a masterclass in technical boxing that night.
Usyk vs. Joshua 2 Pick
We've spent the entire article telling you Usyk completely outclassed the bigger, younger Joshua (he did), but at the same time, we don't think Joshua is completely hopeless in the eventual rematch. Let's evaluate Joshua's path to victory in the grudge match and how feasible it is before offering our Usyk-Joshua 2 betting pick.
If Joshua is to win the second go-around, he'll have to leverage his advantages — and that's power and size. Look, he's not going to outbox Usyk, a former Olympic gold medalist. No, but if Joshua can turn the bout into an all-out brawl, then he has a realistic opportunity at pulling out the victory. The last thing Joshua wants is for Usyk to get into a comfortable rhythm, which he largely was in the first match.
Keeping the fight at a close distance would be in the best interest of Joshua. As we mentioned before, Usyk has the better footwork and speed. If given range inside the ring, Usyk can make the best use out of those advantages, along with his southpaw style. But at close range? Well, much less so.
Of course, turning the bout into a brawl has some potential downfalls for Joshua too. It leaves him much more prone for a big shot — and with that, an embarrassing knockout. Joshua's been dropped to the canvas four times in his career (all by Andy Ruiz in his only other defeat) so it's no lock he has an iron jaw to withstand well-placed blows. But hey, it's still a better fight strategy than trying to outpoint Usyk for 12 rounds.
In the end, though, we're still picking Usyk to win a rematch. If Joshua takes our bully advice above (which he should), his defense will likely be his undoing. You see, Usyk's southpaw stance is a real mismatch for Joshua, who has a career-long tendency of hanging his right hand too low. And we can't imagine Joshua cleaning that up all of a sudden.
How To Bet On Joshua vs. Usyk 2
Once the heavyweight rematch becomes official, you can expect all the Joshua vs. Usyk 2 bets to be available at one of the bookies underneath. Not only will you find moneyline odds, but also lines for the over/under and props. Beyond the litany of bets available, the same bookmakers listed will offer the lines at industry-leading prices so you're maximizing value with your wagers.
But one last tip before we let you go: look into the sportsbook betting bonuses available at the underneath sites. Through these deals, you could score hundreds to thousands of dollars in free play before Joshua and Usyk even step into the ring. That's because these bonuses payout upon creating an account. Once the free play is in your account, you can spend as you wish — whether that's on boxing or another sport of your choosing.
