Andre Ward goes against the grain and says Anthony Joshua needs to lose muscle mass to beat Oleksandr Usyk in title rematch

There has been a general consensus among boxing fans and pundits as to what Anthony Joshua needs to do to beat Oleksandr Usyk in his rematch.

Andre Ward, however, who retired undefeated having won multiple world titles across two weight classes, has taken a different approach to the masses with his advice for AJ.

Usyk was dominant in the first fight against Joshua, despite being the much smaller man

Usyk was dominant in the first fight against Joshua, despite being the much smaller man
In the first fight, Joshua was masterfully out-boxed over twelve rounds by his Ukrainian rival, as he was beaten by unanimous decision.

In the aftermath, the Brit was widely criticised for his game plan of engaging in boxing chess match with one of the most technically gifted boxers on the planet.

Joshua has taken the criticism on board and in the rematch, almost everyone, including his new coach Robert Garcia, has suggested that ‘AJ’ uses his size and strength advantages to bully Usyk in the ring and claim victory.

With that being said, Ward seems to have the opposite opinion, which he revealed while appearing on Max on Boxing, hosted by Max Kellerman.

“Man, I’ve been trying to tell Anthony Joshua for the past six or seven years – get the mass off.” Ward said.

“Then you’ll feel faster, you’ll want to throw more punches and you won’t hit that wall midway in the fight where that blood fills up in your muscles and you can’t get the shots off.

Ward retired as an undefeated champion and he was known for his defensive prowess and quick feet
“This is tough,” Ward continued, “I feel like Anthony Joshua is always this moving target, you know psychologically where is he at?

“Stylistically where is he at? Is he putting on more muscle mass, taking muscle off? All these variables sort of answer that question and we don’t have that answer.”

Joshua is clearly confident of righting the wrongs of his first bout with Usyk, as he has labelled himself the ‘comeback king’.

Only time will tell whether he can pull it off and regain his WBA, WBO and IBF unified heavyweight world titles and we will find out on August 20 in Saudi Arabia.