DAVID PRICE told Anthony Joshua that Oleksandr Usyk has ‘got his number’ and will need to be ‘really lucky’ to win the rematch.
AJ was dethroned of the WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight titles following a 12-round masterclass from Usyk in September.
Joshua, 32, has since invoked his right to an immediate rematch and could get his shot at revenge by April.
But his former sparring partner Price – who is now retired – reckons AJ will need some fortune to win back his unified belts.
He told talkSPORT: “I just think Usyk has got his number.
“Every fighter has an opponent where that style of fighting and that man in particular, where you’re just going to have be really lucky to win the fight.
“You can be lucky, but luck also creates itself with mistakes that are made by the opponent and I do not think Usyk is someone that will make the mistake where he will put himself in a position to be knocked out by an Anthony Joshua punch.
“I think he is too switched on, I think he is too sharp, he’s so clever and it’s like he is a step ahead all the time – it’s like he is thinking two, three steps ahead all the time.
“I don’t think Anthony Joshua can deal with that.”
Joshua’s contracted rematch means Tyson Fury, 33, was unable to unify the belts with Usyk, 34, in an undisputed title decider.
And Price, 38, claimed only former amateur rival Fury and Olympic silver medalist Joe Joyce, 36, are capable of figuring out the Oleksandr Usyk puzzle.
He said: “The only man I can see beating Uysk – some people might laugh at this – is obviously Tyson Fury because he has got an unconventional way of finding a way to win.
“It’s not textbook boxing which a well-schooled fighter can read, his unique in his fighting style, and the other person who has a similar way of fighting and you’ve got to have a great engine in Joe Joyce.
“I think big Joe Joyce can cause Usyk problems with his size, his strength, his fitness and how unconventional he fights, even throwing.
“Out of Uysk and Fury, you’ve got two men who don’t know how to lose since they were amateurs.
“But I think Fury just finds a way to win every time and I will have to stick with him.”
