Will power trump poise in Anthony Joshua’s ring return against Oleksandr Usyk?

Anthony Joshua steps back into the ring for the first time this year when he takes on Oleksandr Usyk in front of around 60,000 fans at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday night.

It may not be the Tyson Fury fight everybody is clamouring for, but Joshua faces a legitimate threat when he defends his WBA, IBF and WBO titles against the former ruler of the cruiserweight division.

Here, the PA news agency gives the lowdown on this weekend’s bout.

Who is the favourite?

So what gives Usyk a chance?

What is each fighter’s best route to victory?

The two biggest questions facing Usyk, the WBO mandatory challenger, concern his chin and power. He will probably have the advantage in speed so can he avoid the heavier shots, and if not, can he withstand them? And can he trouble Joshua in return? He was not the biggest puncher in the division below, so a points win seems the best option. Joshua’s punch resistance is not exceptional, though, and he has struggled against smaller fighters, most notably when he suffered the only defeat of his professional career courtesy of the blurring hand speed of Andy Ruiz Jr. The Watford fighter showed he has more strings to his bow in the rematch, using a ramrod jab to subdue a bloated Ruiz, but Usyk is a superior foe so Joshua could be relying on his heavy-handedness this time around.

Does Joshua need to make a statement?

Are there any other subplots?