The numbers have been posted in Saudi and all the speculation about both mens weight can finally be put to bed.
In their previous fight, Joshua tipped the scales at 240lbs (17st 2lbs) while Usyk came in significantly lighter than his opponent at 221lbs (15st 11lbs).
The live weigh-in was streamed on the Sky Sports Boxing YouTube channel and the results are in:
Offical Usyk-Joshua 2 weights:
- Oleksandr Usyk: 221.5lbs – 0.5lbs heavier
- Anthony Joshua: 244.5lbs – 4.5lbs heavier
Usyk comes in just 0.5lbs heavier than their first encounter whilst Joshua weighs 4.5lbs more.
Many questions will now be posed as to how each fighter is planning to use their size (or lack of) to leverage an advantage.
The Ukrainian’s movement in the first fight was key to his victory. Rumours had been circulating that Usyk was going to come in much heavier for the rematch, but once again the heavyweight champion has surprised everyone and come in just 0.5lbs more than last time.
When asked about people incorrectly predicting that he would weigh in significantly more than the first fight, Usyk responded:
“You see, your expectations not every time are met.”
Joshua has gained 4.5lbs, does this suggest AJ is looking to finish the fight early rather than trying to stay the distance?
Thankfully, there’s not long to wait until the fighters answer everything in the ring, putting a full stop on what has been one of the most intriguing build-ups to a fight in recent memory.
UK fans can tune in live on Saturday night via Sky Sports Box Office, whilst US fans can watch the action on DAZN, with ring walks for the main event expected to commence around 10:30PM BST which is 2.30pm PT for American fight fans.
Read Boxing Social’s top 10 Usyk-Joshua 2 fight predictions now.