JAKARTA - Olympic silver medalist Richard Torrez insists Anthony Joshua needs to make him his sparring partner in preparation for facing Oleksandr Usyk.
This was conveyed by Torrez ahead of the boxing match against Roberto Zavala Jr. on the undercard of Arnold Barboza Jr. versus Daniel Zorrilla. He said he could be an ideal spar for Joshua because he is a left-handed fighter like Usyk.
"I wish Anthony Joshua could hit me in boxing practice because I have the same fighting style as Usyk. How did that happen, I haven't got that call yet," he told Sky Sports.
Anthony Joshua and Usyk will enter the ring in a mega rematch on July 23 in Saudi Arabia. It was an opportunity for the British boxer to avenge his defeat to the Ukrainian boxer.
Previously, AJ—Anthony Joshua's initials—lost the first duel with Usyk at Tottenham Hotspur, London, England, in September last year. The defeat cost him the WBA, IBF and WBO titles.
Torrez says that currently there aren't many fast left-handers who match Usyk's dimensions. For that, Joshua's task to be able to avenge his defeat is very, very difficult.
"We [left-handed boxers] are few and far between. Usyk's moves, his tricks, are incomparable at the moment. To be honest at the moment I'm leaning towards Usyk," said the American boxer.
Usyk rose from cruiserweight, where he is the undisputed champion, to beat Joshua and win the IBF, WBA and WBO titles. He will try to defend the title in the rematch later.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)