Oleksandr Usyk vs Dereck Chisora: Anthony Joshua warns Usyk that heavyweights may not respect ‘pitty-patty’ power

Anthony Joshua has told Oleksandr Usyk that he may encounter a problem attempting to make heavyweights respect his punching power.

The former undisputed cruiserweight champion has now moved up to boxing’s glamour division and is set to face Dereck Chisora in his first serious test in the weight class on Saturday night.

Usyk vs Chisora is set for October 31Mark Robinson/Matchroom

Due to his achievements at cruiserweight, Usyk is the WBO mandatory challenger at heavyweight and due to get his shot at the title next year.

His targets are Joshua, who currently holds that WBO belt, and fellow champion Tyson Fury.

When asked about Usyk, Joshua told Sky: “When I boxed Andy Ruiz Jr in the second fight I adapted to the ‘Usyk style’.

“Hit and don’t get hit, the sweet science of boxing. You learn that from the amateurs.

Joshua completely outboxed Ruiz Jr to regain his titles last yearGetty Images - Getty

“I was amateur for two-and-a-half years so was still adapting to different styles.

“Usyk was amateur for a long time so he has taken the ‘hit and don’t get hit’ style into the pros.

“The good thing that helped me? Sometimes I know to sit down on my feet and hurt someone.

“You’ve got to let them know that you’re there because all that pitty-patty stuff after 12 rounds? Sometimes people don’t respect that type of power.”

Usyk flattened Bellew with a single punch after slowing him down with effective pressure

It’s true that Usyk is not known for his one-punch knockout power.

The Ukrainian typically outboxes his opponents to win on points or wears them down and overwhelms them late on.

However, when he last fought in the UK in 2018, Usyk KOd Tony Bellew with a dramatic left hook.

If he can reproduce this level of power, the heavyweights may have no choice but to respect him.