British heavy-weight fighter Dillian White has tipped compatriot Anthony Joshua to triumph over Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk in the first seven rounds of their fight this weekend as long as he shows confidence from the get-go.
Joshua’s WBA, WBO and IBF world titles are on the line in one of the toughest tests of his career when he faces the Usyk at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Saturday evening.
The Brit of Nigarian descent has been installed as the bookmakers’ favourite to triumph over the former cruiserweight champion in north London, and his fellow heavyweight Whyte believes that will come to fruition if he can press Usyk and set the pace of the fight.
‘Joshua will stop him in the first five, six, or seven rounds. Usyk will start fast, and Joshua will be a bit cagey because he’s a southpaw, and he’s lighter,’ Whyte told BBC 5 Live.
‘Joshua also lacks confidence sometimes in fights where he can get caught up, ”He’s a good boxer.”
‘Hopefully, he goes back to his old self and starts pressing Usyk and being the bigger, stronger guy and starts backing him up and hitting him with stuff.
‘I think he can get the job done early. Usyk is a good southpaw, but he’s an aggressive southpaw as well.
He likes to press the fight, but Joshua has height and reach, and power. If Joshua wants to set the pace, he can get an early knockout. But if he wants to prove who’s the better boxer, I think he’ll struggle.’
Whyte recorded a victory over Joshua in the amateurs in 2009, but it has been a different story since then.
Former world champions Joseph Parker and Andy Ruiz are the only fighters that have lasted the full distance against Joshua, but his promoter Eddie Hearn has warned he is now set for his ‘toughest ever fight’.