Repeat?
From Mike Tyson to Muhammad Ali and Lennox Lewis, a history of heavyweight rematches offers hope to Anthony Joshua in next fight with Oleksandr Usyk
Oleksandr Usyk vs Anthony Joshua 2 will be the latest in boxing's long history of epic heavyweight rematches.
The big question that is always asked before any bout, though, is will it be repeat or revenge?
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Here, talkSPORT looks at whether history on Joshua's side when he attempts to win back the titles he lost last year.
Floyd Patterson vs Sonny Liston (September 25 1962/ July 22 1963)
In 1962, respected heavyweight champion Patterson came up against the fearsome Liston in what seemed like an even match up, but the title holder was knocked out within the first half of the first round.
Patterson, however, had a rematch clause and came back for seconds a year later, but once again it was the same result, as Liston knocked him down three times on the way to another knockout victory. Repeat.
Sonny Liston vs Cassius Clay/ Muhammad Ali (February 25 1964/ May 25 1965)
Liston, now champion, decided to take on a self-assured, charismatic young fighter, who at the time was called Cassius Clay, but who later came to be known as Muhammad Ali.
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The pair first shared the ring in 1964 and Liston was an overwhelming favourite, but after six rounds he retired on his stool citing an injured shoulder and Clay was awarded the victory.
In the rematch, Ali got the job done even quicker, scoring a knockout in round one with what was described as a 'phantom punch' because many spectators in attendance did not even see the winning shot. Repeat.
Mike Tyson vs Evander Holyfield (November 9 1996/ June 28 1997)
As Ali's era of domination in the sport came to a close, another dynamic heavyweight took over in the form of Mike Tyson and he quickly became the biggest name in boxing due to his explosive style and propensity to knock out his opponents quickly.
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By 1996, however, ten years after first winning his heavyweight title, Tyson had become much less formidable and Evander Holyfield sought to take advantage of this when the pair met at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Going into the fight, Tyson was a huge favourite, but Holyfield quickly figured out 'Iron Mike' and went on to stifle his most dangerous attributes, eventually stopping him in the 11th round.
The pair went straight back into a rematch and this time Holyfield was even more in control, but it was not a punch that ended the fight, instead it was a bite, as Tyson took a chunk out of his opponents ear during a clinch and the fight was waved off. Repeat.
Lennox Lewis vs Oliver McCall (September 24 1994/ February 7 1997)
At this point, it's not looking good for Joshua, as most of the prominent heavyweight world title rematches throughout history seem to have ended the same way as the first fights.
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With that being said, Joshua can take inspiration from his fellow British heavyweight, Lennox Lewis, who twice avenged defeats in his highly successful career.
In 1994, Lewis was the WBC champion and came up against Oliver McCall, who surprisingly knocked him out in the second round.
It took three years for Lewis to get another shot at McCall, but when the chance came he grabbed it with both hands and won by fifth round knockout. Revenge.
Lennox Lewis vs Hasim Rahman (April 22 2001/ November 17 2001)
In 2001 it was a similar story when Lewis was knocked out by Hasim Rahman, but later that same year he returned the favour by stopping his South African rival. Revenge.
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Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz Jr (June 1 2019/ December 7 2019)
It's all well and good to take inspiration from others, but perhaps the man that Joshua should really be looking to is himself, as he has personal experience of avenging a defeat.
In 2019, Joshua was unveiled to an American audience, as an undefeated heavyweight champion on top of his game, with his chosen opponent a late replacement Andy Ruiz Jr.
The Mexican was an overwhelming underdog, but after the slight hiccup of being knocked down in the third round, he recovered to drop Joshua four times on his way to a seventh round stoppage victory.
This was one of the biggest upsets in boxing history and many fans and media alike advised Joshua against taking an immediate rematch, similarly to his current situation with Usyk.
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Not be deterred, however, Joshua jumped straight back in with Ruiz and comfortably boxed his way to an unanimous decision victory to regain his titles. Revenge.
Anthony Joshua vs Oleksandr Usyk (September 25 2021 - August 20 2022)
In the first fight between Joshua and Usyk, The Ukrainian put on a boxing masterclass to win soundly by unanimous decision over twelve rounds and claim the unified WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight world titles.
In the rematch, Joshua will need a lot more than history on his side, in the form of an entirely new game plan, as he was widely criticised for his tactics of attempting to out-box one of the most technically gifted boxers on the planet in the first fight.
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To that end, Joshua has hired a whole new training team, including the highly experienced Robert Garcia who has previously guided 14 fighters to world titles, and AJ himself seems very confident of getting the job done even labelling himself as the 'comeback king'.
Let's wait and see.
Usyk vs Joshua 2 on talkSPORT
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