Skip to main content
AJ vs Usyk: Whoever wins common decency and boxing loses
JOHN WIGHT hits out at the decision to stage the AJ vs Usyk rematch in Jeddah this Saturday, and its sportswashing of bloody Saudi regime
SPORTSWASHed: Oleksandr Usyk (centre left) and Anthony Joshua (centre right) during a weight in in at the King Abdullah Sport City Stadium in Jeddah

THE port city of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia is where Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk are meeting on Saturday in what, if the likes of promoter Eddie Hearn are to be believed, is a highly anticipated rematch.

It’s hard to square this claim with the first fight between them at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in September last year, however, which turned out to be a largely one-sided affair, involving the Ukrainian former cruiserweight king schooling the 6'6" Brit to the point of humiliation.

In fact, AJ at points in the previous clash was all over the place, arms flapping around as he tried but failed to contain Usyk’s unrelenting pressure and skilful and judicious use of a jab that found the target with near consummate ease.

Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
More from this author
Dave
Men’s boxing / 11 April 2025
11 April 2025
JOHN WIGHT takes us on a journey back to a decade defined by union power, pop stars, and gritty football icons - no boxer embodied the heart and soul of 1970s Britain quite like Dave Boy Green
George Foreman yells, Oct. 15, 1974, in N'Sele, Kinshasa, Za
Men’s Boxing / 28 March 2025
28 March 2025
JOHN WIGHT pays tribute to the late great George Foreman who defied the odds throughout his life and career to become a household name and legend of the sport
John H. Stracey, right, who is to defend his European welter
Men’s boxing / 14 March 2025
14 March 2025
JOHN WIGHT writes about the fascinating folklore surrounding the place which has been home to some of the most ferocious bareknuckle and unlicensed fighters throughout history
Gross: Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman’s face in li
Men’s Boxing / 27 February 2025
27 February 2025
JOHN WIGHT questions how legend of the sport Roberto Duran is lending credibility to the sportswashing circus that is Riyadh Season — and at what cost?
Similar stories
Boxers Britain's Tyson Fury, left, and Ukraine's Oleksandr U
Men’s boxing / 22 December 2024
22 December 2024
Brit loses title showdown against Ukraine’s Usyk by unanimous decision at weekend
Boxer Tyson Fury, right, and Oleksandr Usyk, left, face off
Men’s boxing / 20 December 2024
20 December 2024
JOHN WIGHT discusses how top-flight boxing is today a ‘late stage capitalist entity’
Johnny Fisher
Men’s boxing / 5 July 2024
5 July 2024
JOHN WIGHT writes about the Romford heavyweight prospect, who will face the most difficult test of his career so far when he takes on the Croatian boxer in London this weekend
Usyk-Fury
Men’s boxing / 29 May 2024
29 May 2024