BOXING legend Mike Tyson reckons Anthony Joshua’s lack of urgency was his undoing against Oleksandr Usyk.
Former undisputed cruiserweight king Usyk ended Joshua’s second reign as unified heavyweight champ last weekend with a masterful performance at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Usyk’s footwork and feints guided him to heavyweight glory, although Tyson believes Joshua’s hesitancy also played a huge part.
He told ES News: “It was the speed more than anything that f***ed up Joshua.
“He started late, he’s still learning. He can still learn, he’s a baby.”
Iron Mike wasn’t blown away by what he saw of the pair, so much he reckons he would’ve battered them in his heyday.
When asked if he would’ve beaten them in his prime, he said: “I’m not talking about any of their fights before this fight.
“But that night I‘d have beat them.”
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The Baddest Man on the Planet posed hypothetical fights with the pair to his legion of followers a few days after the bout.
He tweeted “After watching Joshua vs Usyk fight, maybe they had a bad day that night.
“From that performance, do you really think they could have beat me in my prime?”
Joshua and Usyk, 31 and 34 respectively, are set to renew their rivalry early next year after AJ exercised his rematch clause.
The Watford warrior was taught a boxing lesson and admits he was wrong to try box the fleet-footed Ukrainian.
He started late, he’s still learning. He can still learn, he’s a baby
Mike Tyson on Anthony Joshua’s defeat to Oleksandr Usyk
He said: “I’ve watched the fight, analysed my preparations and identified my mistakes.
“I’ve learnt my lesson. Don’t worry about me. My spirit is strong!”
Joshua is confident of getting the better of Usyk second time around, saying: “If you look at it from a negative point of view, you’re never going to have that mindset that you can make a difference because you’re down anyway.
“But if you look at it from a positive point of view, and realise, ‘Yeah, I took a loss.
“‘But that’s a lesson, that’s a blessing. I can use it as fuel to get better.
“‘And use it as fuel to right my wrongs. You can only get better from there.
“So I’m not gonna hold myself down from the mistake I made, I’m only gonna uplift myself and say, ‘Actually, you know what? That was a tough fight.
“‘But from that fight, I’m gonna go away, get my notepad out and find ways to improve.”
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Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
