Anthony Joshua Finally Breaks Silence After Defeat By Oleksandr Usyk
LAGOS SEPTEMBER 26TH (NEWSRANGERS)-Anthony Joshua has spoken for the first time after losing his world titles with his defeat to Oleksandr Usyk on Saturday night. Joshua did not give an interview in the ring post-fight but has now broken his silence on social media after giving up his WBA, WBO and IBF belts.
The Briton, 31, was convincingly outboxed in north London by the unbeaten Usyk and suffered the second loss of his professional career as a result.
The scorecards read 117-112, 116-112, 115-113 all in Usyk’s favour as he won by unanimous decision and Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn admitted afterwards that the better man won on the night.
Joshua is now expected to activate an immediate rematch clause in their contract to try and reclaim his belts from the Ukrainian, who was the former undisputed king of the cruiserweight division.
And posting a picture from what appeared to be his dressing room at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Joshua wrote: “Keep positive even if the world’s crumbling in front of you! London I love you & thank you each and every time!”
AJ fought mandatory challenger Usyk after seeing a classic fight with fellow Brit Tyson Fury collapse but was outclassed on the evening.
Hearn confirmed that Joshua was taken to hospital afterwards due to a possible broken eye socket, with Joshua’s left eye sporting significant swelling.
He also told Sky Sports Box Office: “He’s devastated, already talking about training again. They want to look at the eye socket, he says it’s fine. But you know, a devastating defeat.
“Congratulations to Oleksandr Usyk, what a fighter. Put in a great performance tonight and the better man won.
“The fighter in AJ, he’s already talking about, ‘I’ll win the rematch, I’ll win the rematch.’ It was a tough defeat. I had it reasonably close in the eighth or ninth then Usyk just ran away with it, I thought 8-4, even 7-5 the best scenario.
“Usyk was the deserved winner and Joshua has got to make changes in the rematch because if that happens again, of course he’ll get beat. He’s got to impose himself early.
“It’ll be really difficult because Usyk’s confidence will be sky high. When you get to the level of Joshua, as we saw after the Ruiz defeat, there’s no 10-round comeback fights or warm-ups, you’re straight back in.
“He’ll want to go straight back into that rematch. He’ll be an underdog but that’s what he does. He was beaten by the better man.”
Tweeting a picture of Joshua and Usyk with one another after the bout, Hearn wrote: “Great fight, always hard to lose but congratulations @usykaa on a hell of a performance.”
The challenge is now on for Joshua, who turns 32 on October 15, to come up with a plan as to how he can overcome Usyk in a rematch after being outwitted here.
To his credit, the Watford born-and-bred fighter responded brilliantly to his defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr in 2019 as he won their rematch six months later.
But against Usyk, AJ is up against another calibre of boxer altogether with the Ukrainian now 19-0 and AJ 24-2 by comparison.
Joshua’s defeat completely alters the make-up of the heavyweight division once more and if he holds on to all three belts by winning a second fight, it remains to be seen what happens to hopes of a Joshua vs Fury fight.
All eyes are on the Gypsy King ahead of his October 9 trilogy battle with Deontay Wilder in Las Vegas.
After the first fight was controversially adjudged to be a draw, Fury stripped Wilder of the WBC belt in February 2020, but the two will exchange blows for a third time to try and settle their rivalry once and for all.
If Fury beats Wilder again, he will then likely move on to another opponent such as Dillian Whyte while he waits to see what happens between Joshua and Usyk in a rematch.
Express
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Posted by News Rangers
on Sep 26 2021. Filed under National, Sports.
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