- Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk will engage in tactical warfare Saturday in London.
- That's according to boxing coach Manny Robles, who tips Joshua to win by decision.
- Robles also said Tyson Fury will beat Deontay Wilder, setting the stage for Fury vs. Joshua in 2022.
LONDON — Anthony Joshua defends his WBA, WBO, and IBF world titles against Oleksandr Usyk in London on Saturday, two weeks before Tyson Fury travels to Las Vegas for a WBC showdown with Deontay Wilder.
The heavyweight landscape could change rapidly in the coming weeks, with the stage set for a summer spectacle next year — a four-belt mega-fight that would generate $100 million paydays for those involved.
For boxing coach Manny Robles, though, that stage will be one shared by Joshua and Fury — the two boxers who have been linked with a super-fight for years.
Robles is used to being around boxing's big men. He helped lead Andy Ruiz Jr. to a stunning upset win over Joshua in 2019, and is cornering the American middleweight Chris Ousley at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadum this weekend.
Speaking to Insider, Robles said the various combatants around the world have helped inject the glamour back into boxing's iconic division, and that continues Saturday on Sky Sports pay-per-view in the UK, and DAZN in the US.
"I believe it's going to be a tactical fight and a great fight," the the California-based trainer said.
"Anything can happen in the heavyweight division because all it takes is one punch. But I think it will go to a decision, and I do believe it will be Joshua who gets that decision."
On the 70,000 fans attending this weekend, at one of Britain's premier soccer stadiums, Robles said "the glamor is definitely back!"
He continued: "With Anthony Joshua taking on such a big challenge in Usyk — the man who nobody wants to fight, and Joshua isn't running away from that type of opponent. You have to respect him for that."
Expect the same outcome in Fury vs. Wilder III, Robles said
As for the other elite heavyweight match on the horizon, one that sees Fury and Wilder fight for a third time, Robles said he does not foresee any surprises there.
Fury won Wilder's WBC world title in February 2020 with a thumping knockout win in Las Vegas, having previously gotten up from the canvas twice to salvage a draw two years earlier.
Wilder, an American puncher, has been hellbent on revenge, and even took his legal right to a rematch — as per the contract — to an arbitrator who ruled that Fury had to oblige his opponent for a hat-trick of matches. It takes place October 9.
"Wilder can crack, he can punch, and he can knock you out with one shot," Robles told us. "You have to give him that."
The 35-year-old, Robles said, has made adjustments to his training team, brought in Malik Scott, and the pair have been working on his fundamentals.
"He's always depended on one punch and ever since he's taken defeat, he's realized he's got to go back to the drawing board to work on fundamentals, his jab, and his boxing skills.
"I'm eager to see what Wilder's going to bring to the table. But I think it's going to be the same outcome," Robles said.
"I do give Wilder an opportunity. Why? His power! But I still see Tyson Fury winning by decision or by knockout because he's got skills, and skills pay the bills."
