ANTHONY JOSHUA is reeling after defeat to Oleksandr Usyk in their heavyweight title showdown. Usyk boxed beautifully at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, winning 117-112, 116-112, 115-113 on the judges scorecards to take AJ’s WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight titles.
The Ukrainian sensation finished the fight putting AJ under enormous pressure and had the Briton rocked on the final bell.
AJ suffered a suspected damaged eye socket in the brutal defeat, though he was not taken to hospital.
And now the Olympic gold medallists will look forward to a massive money-spinning rematch.
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JOSH K.O
Anthony Joshua’s only chance of beating Oleksandr Usyk in their rematch is if he knocks him out, Frank Warren claims.
Joshua was given a boxing masterclass by Usyk and risks the same thing happening the next time they face each other.
The only way there will be a different outcome is if Joshua can put the Ukrainian on his bum.
When asked about Joshua’s chances, Warren said: “No, not unless he can land a bomb on him.
“He can’t outbox him. It’s impossible for him to outbox him. So what is he going to have to do? He’s [Joshua] going to have to stop him.”
OUT OF THIS WORLD
Oleksandr Usyk has offered Elon Musk the space-inspired ring walk helmet he wore before beating Anthony Joshua as a gift.
Usyk made his entrance wearing a custom-made jacket and space helmet and then delivered a performance that was from another planet.
After blowing AJ away with a 12 round clinic, the Ukrainian called on billionaire Musk, 50 – whose firm SpaceX launched the first all-civilian space flight earlier this month – to collect the boxing attire.
Usyk tweeted: “I’ve got a very special gift for a person who inspires me a lot!
“@elonmusk , your customized JAXET is waiting for you – a gear equipped with the latest technologies and an exclusive art piece from the new reality.
“Let’s express our respect to the superhero of the new world together and invite Elon to pick up his gift by sharing hashtag #ELONgetyourJAXETfromUSYK @elonmusk.”
‘NOT TYSON’
Critics reckon Anthony Joshua had the wrong mentality going into his loss against Oleksandr Usyk.
The Brit lost his heavyweight titles to the Ukrainian and some believe it’s because Joshua underestimated his opponent.
Boxing journalist Gareth Davies claims Joshua was too relaxed coming into the fight.
Joshua was showing love to fans and parents as he entered the ring, which something that you’d never see Mike Tyson or Lennox Lewis doing, Davies thinks.
He said: “He was fist-bumping people into the ring, kissing mothers, you never saw Mike Tyson or Lennox Lewis do that on their way.
“It was a heavyweight title defence.
“He wasn’t in the right frame of mind, he underestimated the guy in my view and a lot of us that know boxing said that if Oleksandr Usyk is still standing after the tenth round, he will have done something wrong in the fight.”
FIGHT FURY
Tyson Fury watched in horror as he watched his mega-bucks fight against Anthony Joshua go down the pan.
Fury was glued to the screen during Anthony Joshua’s defeat at the hands of Oleksandr Usyk, putting their proposed £200million fight in doubt.
The only way Joshua can get his fight with Fury back on track is if he wins his rematch with Usyk.
Speaking on Fury’s reaction to Joshua’s loss, his promoter Frank Warren revealed: “I spoke to Tyson during the fight and we were both of the same opinion.
“All Tyson could see was a massive big fight going down the drain, which is what happened.”
BELL RING
Boxing fans have claimed that Anthony Joshua could’ve been knocked out by Oleksandr Usyk if the last round wasn’t ended early.
Footage of the final round appears to show the bell ring five seconds early.
Which fans reckon was done to save Joshua from being sent to the canvas by the Ukrainian who went on to win on points.
In response to the alleged early bell ring, one fan wrote on Twitter: “They knew Joshua was getting tagged up.”
Another said: “Robbed Usyk of the KO. That was a stoppage.”
And even UFC commentator Joe Rogan questioned whether the bell was rung before it should’ve been.
He said: “Did they really ring the bell for the last round early?”
RUIZ PRAISE
Andy Ruiz Jr has praised Oleksandr Usyk for his victory over Anthony Joshua on the weekend.
The Ukrainian became the second person to hand Joshua a defeat in his career so far.
The Brit’s first loss came at the hands of Ruiz Jr in 2019, although Joshua won the next time the pair were face to face.
Speaking after the match, Ruiz Jr said: “Congratulations to Oleksandr Usyk. He did his thing. Congratulations brother.”
CHISORA SUPPORT
Derek Chisora was full of praise for Anthony Joshua following his loss to Oleksandr Usyk.
Despite losing on points, Chisora, who is signed to Joshua’s management company 258, reckons his fellow Brit put on a great display.
And next time the pair meet, Joshua will be better prepared as they can’t cry over spilt milk.
Chisora said: “Fight was great, what I will say and I thought AJ was moving his jab very amazingly and the points was unbelievable.
“The last round was a bit tricky for him, we don’t cry over spilt milk mate. We just have to knuckle down and regroup to go back again.”
OUR SAB-IOUR
Oleksandr Usyk was given a hero’s welcome by fans when he arrived back in Ukraine after beating Anthony Joshua.
When the new heavyweight champion stepped off the plane in his home country, supporters were on hand to greet him with yellow and blue sticks which they’ve labelled ‘lightsabers.’
The blue stick holders stood on one side and the yellow ones on the other, creating a tunnel for Usyk to walk through.
And in a much more subtle token, he was also handed a bouquet of flowers by fans in the same colours.
USYK MUST BE CRAZY
Oleksandr Usyk and Eddie Hearn are at odds about where Anthony Joshua’s rematch against the Ukrainian should take place.
Usyk, who beat Joshua in his own backyard on Saturday to become heavyweight champion wants their second duel to happen in his homeland.
However, Hearn is adamant that the rematch takes place in the UK as it makes more financial sense for the fighters.
Speaking to iFL TV, the Matchroom boss said: “We will work together to maximise (the income), Ukraine is very unlikely.
“I think it will be international or the UK, I would think it would be in the UK.”
JOSH IT ALL WRONG
Anthony Joshua has implied that he used the wrong tactics in his loss to Oleksandr Usyk on Saturday.
Joshua admitted he should’ve gone into the fight against the Ukrainian with a different game plan after the brawl.
But upon reflection, the former heavyweight champion claims he will prepare differently for their rematch which will be phenomenal.
Speaking to iFL TV, the Brit said: “I let a few people down, obviously people that support me.
“There’s other people that probably thought I should have gone in with a different gameplan.
“There’s certain things I know I can improve on for sure and there’s certain things that he can probably improve on, that’s why I feel like the next fight will be phenomenal.”
OVER AND OUT
Tyson Fury’s promoter Frank Warren has no doubt who would’ve won if it was his fighter stepping into the ring against Anthony Joshua last night and Oleksandr Usyk.
In fact, Warren believes the fight wouldn’t have lasted more than four rounds.
“Tyson Fury would have destroyed him inside three or four rounds,” Warren told the MailOnline.
“Tyson has great footwork, a great chin and his hands are as fast as Usyk’s and he is bigger – he would have destroyed Joshua.”
HERE EU GO
Chris Eubank Jr is in line for a domestic blockbuster in December with Billy Joe Saunders and Liam Willaims among the targets, JACK FIGG reports.
But a super-fight with Gennady Golovkin, 39, is parked until the summer, with the Kazakh due to fight Japan’s Ryota Murata, 35, in a unification.
Middleweight Eubank Jr returns to the ring on Saturday and will do so as the new face of Sky Sports Boxing in a tune-up bout against Sven Elbir.
And promoter Kalle Sauerland promised a massive pay-per-view worthy fight will follow before the year’s out, should any slip ups be avoided.
Sauerland told SunSport: “Golovkin I can categorically rule out, Golovkin right now is obligated to fight Murata.
“That is an ongoing one, something we said we would re-visit when he’s had that fight. That’s going to be a big summer one for next year.
“We’re looking at domestic fights, Liam Williams is on that list, Billy Joe is on that list.”
Credit: Getty
‘HAVE A F****** GO’
Whyte went on to say on AJ: “It’s good he is using more athleticism and boxing responsibly but being a big strong guy is what has worked for him, got him an Olympic gold medal and world titles so he just needs to have a f****** go.
“He was not hungry enough because when the chips are down and sh!t is against you, you have to have a go. And he did not want to have a go.
“He never tried to finish him off when he hurt him, it was madness.”
‘F****** WEIRDO’
Dillian Whyte has labelled Anthony Joshua a ‘f****** weirdo’ for not being more aggressive during his unanimous defeat to Oleksandr Usyk.
The Body snatcher told iFL TV: “I was surprised with how the fight went because I thought Joshua would get it done inside seven rounds because he would enforce his size and bulk on Usyk but he was very reserved and tentative, it was weird.
“Usyk was a lot more aggressive because Joshua allowed him to be, whenever Joshua stung him he stood in front of him and let his hands go and Joshua let him do it.
“Joshua was hurting him but backing up so it has baffled me a bit, it was a bizarre performance. Joshua is a strange guy, he’s a proper f****** weirdo, he should have been putting the heat on him.
“After eight rounds he should have felt like he was down on the cards and started really having a go, he’s the unified heavyweight champion of the world.
“He needs to throw his hands. Joshua’s mentality has to change, lately he is in a safety-first mode, he is fighting weird.”
‘SEE YOU SOON’
After defeating Anthony Joshua via unanimous decision on Saturday night, the Ukrainian returned AJ his belts after a dominant victory.
And after posing for photographs with his new WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight titles, Usyk returned them to AJ.
The new champion is awarded fresh set of belts, meaning former champ AJ is able to keep his old ones.
Then after handing Joshua his belts back, Usyk said: “See you soon,” with the pair set to do battle again in a rematch next year.
Oleksandr Usyk RETURNS belts to Anthony Joshua as Brit warns ‘see you soon’ in changing room after shock defeat
CHAMPIONSHIP ROUNDS
Anthony Joshua lost all of the final four rounds of the fight on all three judges’ scorecards last night.
But until then the scores were level on two scorecards at four rounds apiece, with Brit judge Howard Foster scoring the fight five rounds to three in favour of AJ.
And Hearn has said: “I was just looking at the scorecards then, he was winning the fight through eight rounds.
“Then he lost every round; nine, ten, eleven, twelve – on every scorecard. That was what swung the scorecards, but they are the championship rounds.
“That’s where Usyk came strong, that’s what he did where he did wear down his opponent – probably mentally as well.
“He won those key championship rounds.”
Credit: Instagram / @eddiehearn
HERO’S WELCOME
Oleksandr Usyk was given a hero’s welcome as he arrived back home in Ukraine – where he will now settle down with his family.
Usyk, 34, was mobbed by fans and reporters as he stopped to give autographs as well as pose for pictures.
Despite the fanfare, the only thing on Usyk’s mind was getting home to his wife Yekaterina and three children, Kyrylo, Mykhailo and Yelizaveta.
He said: “I just want to live. I want to take my kids to school, I want to plant trees, water the apple trees and see my wife more often.
“I spent three months in training camp, I wish I could spend more time with my wife. I just want to live — I really don’t care what the critics say. There will always be people criticising. I know what I am doing.
“If I am running I don’t stop until I stop. If I’m swimming I’m not stopping until I nearly drown. I am working very hard so I really don’t care what people say or think about me.”
Credit: Alamy
NOT THE TOUGHEST
Anthony Joshua insists Oleksandr Usyk wasn’t the toughest opponent of his career – despite having his heavyweight titles ripped away from him.
AJ was outboxed from the outset but is adamant slick southpaw Usyk wasn’t the hardest test of his amateur and professional careers.
When asked if he thought Ukrainian was the hardest fight of his career, Joshua replied: “No, no way.
“Because it wasn’t too much physical. But I lost anyway. So it wasn’t the toughest.”
STAT ATTACK
Punch stats from last night’s bout show Usyk was in control throughout the 12 rounds despite British judge Howard Foster scoring AJ ahead after eight rounds.
But it was Usyk who landed more punches, bigger punches, and it was the Ukrainian who was more efficient with his shots.
He could have floored AJ in the 12th with a barrage of shots, landing a total of 29 punches in the final round – the most the Brit has ever faced in a single round.
Despite the reach disadvantage, Usyk was more effective with his jab, landing 52 out of the 309 he threw – or 17 per cent.
Joshua landed the same number but had over a hundred more attempts than his opponent with 427.
But AJ threw less power punches – 214 compared to Usyk’s 220 – and landed just 71 to the Ukrainian’s 96.
ELSEWHERE IN BOXING
Anderson Silva wants to fight Floyd Mayweather and ‘break all pay-per-view records’, his coach said.
The Brazilian was last year released from the UFC and decided to instead continue his career in the ring, beating ex-boxing champion Julio Cesar Chavez and fellow MMA legend Tito Ortiz.
But now the UFC middleweight icon wants to jump to the top of the sport and challenge one of boxing’s best ever, 50-0 Mayweather.
Silva’s trainer Luiz Dorea told AG Fight: “I think the one fight that should happen was between Floyd Mayweather and Anderson Silva.
“One of the greatest boxing athletes against one of the greatest MMA in the world.
“Floyd faced Logan Paul, who doesn’t have that much experience in boxing, in an exhibition match. I think I could have a deal.
“These fights against YouTubers can happen too, because Anderson wants something that motivates him. We will have good news soon.”
BISPING SPEAKS
UFC legend Michael Bisping has had his say after Anthony Joshua’s defeat to Oleksandr Usyk.
In a unanimous decision in favour of Usyk Brit judge Howard Foster scored the fight 115-113 – the closest out of the three scorecards.
And unlike the other two judges he scored the first two rounds in favour of AJ, which Bisping did not take well.
“He should be held accountable for this,” he retorted.
“Explain why he scored it that way to his peers. [If there is] no understandable reason then he should never judge again.”
FURY REACTION
Tyson Fury’s promoter Frank Warren has revealed how The Gypsy King reacted to Anthony Joshua’s defeat to Oleksadr Usyk on Saturday night.
“He [Joshua] just wasn’t doing what you’d think a bigger guy would do,” Warren said on talkSPORT Fight Night.
“I spoke to Tyson during the fight and we were both of the same opinion.
“All Tyson could see was a massive big fight going down the drain, which is what happened.”
‘FIRED UP’
Chris Eubank Jr is determined to come out on top of his middleweight bout against Sven Elbir on Saturday after seeing his ‘good friend’ Anthony Joshua lose.
He told Sky Sports: “I’m fired up.
“Obviously Anthony Joshua is a friend of mine. I’m a little deflated that he lost, but it’s part of the game. We’ve all been there.
“If anything, this makes me want to fight even harder. I know the feelings he’s going through now.
“The first thing you want to do is get back in the ring and win. We’re going to put on a hell of a show.”
PICKING KIEV
Oleksandr Usyk wants his lucrative rematch with Anthony Joshua to take place in front of a packed crowd at Ukraine’s 70,000 seater Olympic Stadium.
Joshua, 31, is set to exercise the rematch clause placed in his contract to face the Ukrainian, who is hoping to make his first title defence on home soil.
The 34-year-old said: “I would love to have the rematch at Olympiyskiy Stadium in Kiev.”
Promoter Eddie Hearn, however, believes the second instalment of Usyk vs Joshua will likely take place in UK again.
The Matchroom Boxing chief said: “We will work together to maximise (the income), Ukraine is very unlikely.
“I think it will be international or the UK, I would think it would be in the UK.”
Credit: GETTY
NOT HIS TOUGHEST FIGHT
Oleksandr Usyk reckons his 12-round heavyweight world title win over Anthony Joshua was not even his hardest fight.
The eccentric said: “The plan was just to walk in, see, start, so we went in, saw and started.
“In the 12th my corner said ‘speed up’ so I did and then they said ‘and the new’.
“I tried to speed up and punched him a couple of times but I was losing my rhythm and my corner told me to slow down and throw my jab more because if I did not keep throwing my jab I would lose my rhythm.
“This is the biggest fight in my career but it was not my hardest. I think that is in my future.”
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