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      Anthony Joshua vs Oleksandr Usyk scorecards reveal Brit was LEADING before nasty ninth-round eye injury sparked meltdown

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      ANTHONY JOSHUA was LEADING after eight rounds against Oleksandr Usyk before his nasty eye injury in the ninth sparked a meltdown.That is according to the official scorecards which have been released by AJ’s Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn.
      Anthony Joshua was narrowly leading after eight rounds against Oleksandr UsykCredit: Instagram / @eddiehearn
      But a nasty eye injury saw him throw away the fight in the final roundsCredit: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing
      The Brit lost 115-113, 116-112, 117-112 at Tottenham’s stadium on Saturday night and the exact scoring has now emerged.
      Howard Foster scored the bout 115-113 with the contest all square with two rounds to go.
      Steve Weisfield gave Usyk an extra point on his 116-112 card and only had them level after the eighth.
      And Viktor Fesechenko judged the Ukrainian to have won by the biggest margin – awarding him 117 points to Joshua’s 112.
      But after eight rounds Foster had the fight for Joshua, Weisfield scored it a draw and Fesechenko was in favour of Usyk.
      Foster had Joshua up 77-75 after the eighth, Weisfeld scored it level 76-76 and Fesechenko called it 77-76 to Usyk.
      So at that stage, the Brit was ahead on the three judges’ total scoring by a single point – at 229 for Joshua, and 228 for Usyk.
      However, if the last four rounds had been shared, it would have finished a draw.
      But his right eye continued to swell and impede his vision – with AJ admitting after he could not see out of it from the ninth round.

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      As a result, Usyk stormed the last rounds and walked away with a unanimous points win.
      After the shock defeat, Hearn warned AJ he must trigger his Usyk rematch clause immediately or risk NEVER having the chance to win his belts back.
      Fellow British heavyweight Dillian Whyte also hit out at AJ after the clash labelling the Londoner ‘gun-shy, negative and lacking ambition’.
      The Body Snatcher told BBC 5 Live: “I said if Joshua tried to box he was always going to lose.
      “If he had come out and bullied him and pushed the pace and let his hands go he could have knocked him out in the first even round.
      “But he came out and was being too negative, he seemed like a gun-shy fighter. You are the bigger man, have a go.

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      “I don’t know, he lacked ambition in the ring there tonight.
      “The first round, Usyk landed the first strong blow and Joshua was a negative fighter.
      “He got tagged with a left and he was worried the whole time.”

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      Oleksandr Usyk RETURNS belts to Anthony Joshua as Brit warns ‘see you soon’ in changing room after shock defeat

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      OLEKSANDR USYK stole Anthony Joshua’s heavyweight belts on the Brit star’s home turf on Saturday night – only to give them straight back.AJ, 31, lost his WBA (Super), IBF, WBO and IBO titles after being stunned by Usyk at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

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      Oleksandr Usyk returning Anthony Joshua’s belts after their fight (he will be sent new ones). AJ tells him: “See you soon.”[📽️ Serge Lapin] pic.twitter.com/LGLjyiTxlQ— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) September 25, 2021

      Oleksandr Usyk gave Anthony Joshua back his heavyweight belts following his shock win on SaturdayCredit: Instagram / @serge_lapin
      Joshua grinned as he got his hands back on his belts, with Usyk to be sent fresh onesCredit: Instagram / @serge_lapin
      Joshua warned Usyk he’d ‘see him soon’ as he prepares to exercise his rematch clauseCredit: Instagram / @serge_lapin
      The Ukrainian, 34, looked dominant as he surged to a unanimous points win, leaving Joshua’s dreams of a £500million showdown with fellow Brit Tyson Fury seemingly in tatters.
      But while both fighters exchanged crunching blows in the ring, they continued to show their incredible mutual respect out of it.
      After the bout, Usyk posed in the ring with his news belts after becoming the new heavyweight champion.
      But the former cruiserweight immediately darted to the changing rooms to give them straight back to AJ afterwards.
      Despite the loss, Joshua will get to keep the belts, with Usyk to be sent fresh ones.
      And the Brit will desperately kickstart his ‘road to undisputed’ as he vows to fight Fury in the future.

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      Following his defeat, Joshua claimed: “The road to undisputed and all that stuff, it’s good.
      “As I said, I’ll fight Tyson Fury, (Deontay) Wilder, without the belts.
      “The belts are fun. It’s great, it’s legacy. But with or without the belts, I’ll fight whoever.
      “The road to undisputed is a nice title to have and a nice title to chase.
      “But would you still watch it, without the belts?
      “That’s the main thing – is you’ve got two competitive fighters in the ring from UK soil, that just want to go toe-to-toe.”

      Despite having one eye on Fury, AJ is first itching to set the record straight and wrestle back his belts from Usyk.
      Asked if he planned to activate his rematch clause, a defiant Joshua roared: “100 per cent. 110 per cent.
      “I’m ready to get back to training.
      “Because of the 12 rounds, my lungs and everything, it was a good 12-rounder, so I’ll be in a good place when I get back into training to pick up where we left off.”
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      ‘Crazy Bond villain’ Oleksandr Usyk stalked Anthony Joshua ringside in 2018 as throwback photo comes back to haunt AJ

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      OLEKSANDR USYK stunned Anthony Joshua to steal his heavyweight titles on Saturday night – but the ‘crazy Bond villain’ had been eyeing up the belts for THREE YEARS.The Ukrainian star, 34, shocked a packed Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with his victory via unanimous decision in North London.

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      Fans are calling Usyk a ‘crazy Bond villain’ after a picture of him glaring at Joshua during the Brit’s 2018 win over Povetkin went viral again
      Oleksandr Usyk stunned a packed London crowd to beat Anthony Joshua on Saturday nightCredit: Getty
      Usyk got his hands on AJ’s WBA (Super), IBF, WBO and IBO belts after continuing to impress after making the jump up to heavyweight.
      But while many fans were surprised, others remembered the victory was three years in the making.
      In 2018, Usyk was spotted ringside during Joshua’s win over Alexander Povetkin.
      And an old photo of the Ukrainian glaring at AJ during the fight has since been resurfaced and quickly gone viral.
      One terrified viewer even called Usyk – dressed in all black with a hood half covering his face – a ‘crazy Bond villain’.
      In May, Joshua even shared the very same picture on Snapchat after it was announced he would be fighting Usyk, not Tyson Fury as planned.

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      AJ simply captioned the snap: “Everyday is War.”
      But that post has now come back to haunt him after he was thoroughly outboxed by Usyk on Saturday evening.
      Earlier this week, Usyk was even asked about the infamous staredown, with the Ukrainian replying: “Of course I remember.
      “AJ was fighting in London at Wembley with Alexander Povetkin.
      “I remember that he made a sign to me. I think he noticed me in the crowd. He waved his hand to me.
      “I was quite sure that good guys like us should fight each other.
      “He was not on my mind. But I had a goal to fight with him because he is the Olympic champion.”
      Joshua had previously met Usyk as a youngster in 2011 with the pair both competing at the World Amateur Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan.
      They both represented their countries at the 2012 Olympic Games too – when AJ won heavyweight gold.
      And on both occasions, Usyk claimed he watched every fight – scouting his potential future opponent well into his professional career, too.
      The new heavyweight champion eerily admitted: “I have watched all of his fights. Absolutely each and every one of his fights.”
      Oleksandr Usyk stealing Anthony Joshua’s belts was seemingly a career in the makingCredit: Reuters
      Despite the defeat, Joshua has revealed he is ‘positive’ about the future and still wants to fight Fury – even without his belts.
      AJ said: “The road to undisputed and all that stuff, it’s good.
      “As I said, I’ll fight Tyson Fury, (Deontay) Wilder, without the belts.
      “The belts are fun. It’s great, it’s legacy. But with or without the belts, I’ll fight whoever.
      “The road to undisputed is a nice title to have and a nice title to chase.
      “But would you still watch it, without the belts?
      “That’s the main thing – is you’ve got two competitive fighters in the ring from UK soil, that just want to go toe-to-toe.”
      Despite having one eye on Fury, AJ is first itching to set the record straight and wrestle back his belts from Usyk.
      Asked if he planned to activate his rematch clause, a defiant Joshua roared: “100 per cent. 110 per cent.
      “I’m ready to get back to training.
      “Because of the 12 rounds, my lungs and everything, it was a good 12-rounder, so I’ll be in a good place when I get back into training to pick up where we left off.”
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      Dillian Whyte accuses ‘gun-shy’ Anthony Joshua of lacking ambition after he lost world titles to Oleksandr Usyk

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      ANTHONY JOSHUA was ‘gun-shy, negative and lacking ambition’ against Oleksandr Usyk.That is according to fellow Brit Dillian Whyte who let rip at AJ after his points defeat to the Ukrainian in London on Saturday night.
      Anthony Joshua could have been much braver during his defeat to Oleksandr Usyk
      That is according to fellow British heavyweight Dillian WhyteCredit: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing
      Joshua failed to make use of his 18lb weight advantage over former cruiserweight king Usyk, who landed a barrage of heavy southpaw shots throughout the bout at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium.
      The Ukrainian finished with a flourish in the final rounds to put the result beyond doubt and seal the unanimous 117-112, 116-112 and 115-113 win at the new White Hart Lane.
      Joshua admitted afterwards he could not see out of his right eye from the ninth round onwards.
      But Whyte reckons the Brit should have won the fight well before then and could have done so if he had been braver.
      The Body Snatcher told BBC 5 Live: “I said if Joshua tried to box he was always going to lose.
      “If he had come out and bullied him and pushed the pace and let his hands go he could have knocked him out in the first even round.

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      “But he came out and was being too negative, he seemed like a gun-shy fighter. You are the bigger man, have a go.
      “I don’t know, he lacked ambition in the ring there tonight.
      “The first round, Usyk landed the first strong blow and Joshua was a negative fighter.
      “He got tagged with a left and he was worried the whole time.”
      After the fight, Eddie Hearn warned AJ he must trigger the Usyk rematch clause immediately or risk NEVER winning belts back again.
      Meanwhile Whyte faces Otto Wallin at the O2 on October 30 – a bout he is expected to win.
      And the Brixton scrapper said he would go toe-to-toe in a ‘shoot-out’ with Usyk if he ever got the chance.
      He added: “I have to go through Wallin first, after we will see.

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      “But I tell you what, I will not be losing to an overall decision like that, I can tell you that now.
      “I will go out and I will have a shoot-out – if I get knocked out, I get knocked out.
      “But I will have a shoot-out, I am not getting out boxed over 12 rounds like that, no chance.”

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      Joshua must trigger Usyk rematch clause immediately or risk NEVER getting chance to win belts back, warns Eddie Hearn

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      ANTHONY JOSHUA must trigger his rematch clause against Oleksandr Usyk or risk NEVER having the chance to win the world championship belts back. That is according to AJ’s Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn who ‘cannot see another option’.
      Anthony Joshua MUST trigger his rematch clause against Oleksandr Usyk or risk NEVER having the chance to win back the belts he lost on Saturday
      That is according to AJ’s Matchroom promoter Eddie HearnCredit: PA
      Joshua failed to make use of his 18lb weight advantage over former cruiserweight king Usyk, who landed a barrage of heavy southpaw shots throughout the bout at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium.
      The Ukrainian finished with a flourish in the final rounds to put the result beyond doubt and seal a unanimous 117-112, 116-112 and 115-113 win at the new White Hart Lane.
      A rematch clause exists in the contract for Saturday night’s fight and Hearn reckons AJ must trigger it and battle Usyk again straight away.
      Asked if he would advise AJ to take the rematch, Hearn said: “Yeah because at the end of the day, what are you going to do?
      “Are you going to go and have a ten-rounder or fight an interim bout?
      “Ultimately if he doesn’t accept the rematch clause, he will not get a chance to win his world championships back… possibly ever the way this game works.

      “And that was the same with [Andy] Ruiz.
      “To be honest, I would have actually probably advised him not to take the Ruiz match after that kind of defeat.
      “I know he was out-boxed tonight but against Ruiz he went down four or five times and he was stopped quite badly in that fight.
      “Tonight he was out-boxed and started to get a little bit beat up towards the end – but there were a number of reasons for that.
      “But I don’t see another option. He’s not going to want to go and have a ten-rounder at the O2. He’s going to want to try and win his belts back.
      “And he should be commended for it. And this time as an underdog in that rematch.”

      Although AJ is expected to trigger the rematch clause, new world champ Usyk said the fight won’t be for some time.
      The Ukraine hero said: “This means a lot to me.
      “I’ve been working so hard since January. It took me some half a year.
      “I miss my children. I want to go home. I’m not thinking about the rematch.
      “You didn’t see the best Usyk. I can be much better. The fight went exactly the way I expected it to go.
      “There was times when Anthony pushed me hard but nothing special.
      “I had no objective to knock him out. My corner pushed me not to do that.
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      “My trainer said no and to stick to my job.”
      Joshua could could not see out of his right eye from the ninth round on Saturday.
      And Hearn revealed after the Brit would head to hospital to check if he had broken his eye socket.

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      George Foreman blasts Anthony Joshua for being ‘afraid’ and claims champ ‘lost his identity’ in shock Usyk defeat

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      GEORGE FOREMAN has claimed Anthony Joshua looked scared and forgot who he was as a fighter against Oleksandr Usyk.The heavyweight great was unimpressed by what he saw as Joshua was outboxed by his southpaw rival on Saturday night.
      Anthony Joshua lost to Oleksandr Usyk in a unanimous decisionCredit: Getty
      Heavyweight great George Foreman questioned Joshua’s identity in the ringCredit: Getty – Contributor
      The Brit lost his trio of heavyweight belts and with it a chance of a £500 million Tyson Fury super-fight when he slumped to defeat by unanimous decision.
      And two-time world champ Foreman questioned Joshua’s chin at a packed Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
      He wrote on Twitter: “Saw the Joshua/Usyk fight: AJ seemed afraid? 
      “He lost his identity. (Should I be cautious (go 12) attack with my power?) 
      “Usyk typical southpaw ‘if you won’t hit me I’ll be awkward and hit you’. Something’s wrong, not AJ he took his punishments. Who are you AJ?”

      The 72-year-old Foreman was not the only boxing legend to offer his thoughts following the fight.
      Lennox Lewis called on his fellow Brit Joshua to ‘learn and improve’ after he was schooled by the Ukrainian Usyk.
      He wrote on Twitter: “Gotta give it up to Usyk on a great tactical performance tonight.
      “For Anthony Joshua it’s not the end of the road, but you can’t be so tentative or wait ’til the 8th round to turn it on. Learn from this and improve.
      “Usyk showed his pedigree in the ring tonight. Amateur Champion. Olympic Gold medallist.
      “Undisputed Cruiserweight Champion and now World Heavyweight champion. It pays to take the long road, put in the hard work and aggressively go after your goals.”

      Foreman and Lewis were among a host of famous faces watching on in horror as Usyk dished out the punishment to Joshua over 12 gruelling rounds.
      Celebs and Premier League stars were in attendance at Spurs’ home ground for the defence of AJ’s WBA, WBO and IBF belts.
      And they could have witnessed an even more shocking conclusion had Usyk’s corner not stopped their man from knocking out the home fighter.
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      Anthony Joshua vows to fight Tyson Fury despite losing belts to Oleksandr Usyk but will first demand rematch

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      ANTHONY JOSHUA has vowed to still fight Tyson Fury even without his heavyweight titles – but will first activate his Oleksandr Usyk rematch clause.The British star, 31, was outboxed in front of a packed Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday night, ultimately losing via unanimous decision and seemingly blowing his chance of fighting the Gypsy King in a £500million showdown.

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      Anthony Joshua lost to Oleksandr Usyk on Saturday night but insists he can still fight Tyson Fury even without his heavyweight beltsCredit: Getty
      But Joshua was in buoyant mood despite the defeat, insisting he will still take on rival Fury even without his belts.
      AJ lost his WBA (Super), IBF, WBO and IBO titles to the Ukrainian star, 34, but admitted it’s all part of the sport and is keen to get back on ‘the road to undisputed’.
      Immediately after his defeat, Joshua claimed: “The road to undisputed and all that stuff, it’s good.
      “As I said, I’ll fight Tyson Fury, (Deontay) Wilder, without the belts.
      “The belts are fun. It’s great, it’s legacy. But with or without the belts, I’ll fight whoever.
      “The road to undisputed is a nice title to have and a nice title to chase.

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      “But would you still watch it, without the belts?
      “That’s the main thing – is you’ve got two competitive fighters in the ring from UK soil, that just want to go toe-to-toe.”
      Despite having one eye on Fury, AJ is first itching to set the record straight and wrestle back his belts from Usyk.
      Asked if he planned to activate his rematch clause, a defiant Joshua roared: “100 per cent. 110 per cent.
      “I’m ready to get back to training. Because of the 12 rounds, my lungs and everything, it was a good 12-rounder, so I’ll be in a good place when I get back into training to pick up where we left off.”
      Joshua remained in an optimistic mood later in the evening after retreating to the dressing room.
      The British star tweeted: “Keep positive even if the world’s crumbling in front of you!
      “London I love you & thank you each and every time!”
      Anthony Joshua has set his sights on wrestling back his heavyweight belts from UsykCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
      Joshua even revealed his loss to Usyk in front of his home crowd was a ‘good experience’, taking a lot away from the fight after losing vision in one eye for the first time in his career.
      He said: “From the ninth, I couldn’t see in the ninth round. Couldn’t see anything really.
      “My eye was shut, but it was a good experience, because in adversity, you’ve just got to learn to control yourself, stay on top of things…
      “So when I couldn’t see anything, it’s the first time it’s happened in a fight.
      “I was thinking, ‘Alright, cool, it’s the first time my eye has closed up in a fight. I can’t see nothing.’
      “I’m looking out of one eye, but it got better as the rounds went on.”
      Joshua was taken to hospital with a suspected broken eye socket shortly after the defeat.
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      Anthony Joshua breaks silence after Oleksandr Usyk and says his ‘world is crumbling, but keeping positive’ after loss

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      ANTHONY JOSHUA has vowed to ‘keep positive’ after being stunned by Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk in London on Saturday night. Usyk nabbed AJ’s WBA, WBO and IBF belts following a unanimous decision after a boxing masterclass at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
      AJ took to social media to post a selfie after the fightCredit: Instagram
      And a bruised AJ addressed the media at a late night press conference, explaining what went wrongCredit: PA
      It’s the second time he has tasted defeat in his careerCredit: Reuters
      But it didn’t take long for Joshua to take to social media to thank the 67,000 fans in attendance for their support.
      In a dressing room selfie, a bruised AJ flexed his bicep and wrote: “Keep positive even if the world’s crumbling in front of you!
      “London I love you & thank you each and every time!”
      “Keep positive even if the world’s crumbling in front of you!”Anthony Joshua on social media
      The 31-year-old fighter is expected to exercise the rematch clause in his contract with former cruiserweight Usyk, after seeing his belts ripped away from him for a second time in his career.
      Watford-born AJ first tasted defeat at Madison Square Garden in 2019 when he was sensationally stopped by Andy Ruiz Jr.
      And a bruised AJ congratulated Usyk in his post fight press conference, before vowing to return stronger.

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      He said: “Well done to the winner and we’ll be back again.
      “[I’ll] get back into training, [it was] a great twelve rounds, a great experience as well in the ring.
      “And we progress from this point on once again, so we’ll be doing it all again soon.”
      When asked where it went wrong, AJ replied: “What went wrong? Just taking a loss, but we’ll get it right.
      “Probably from the ninth [round] I could not see in the ninth round, [I] couldn’t see anything really, my eye was shut but it was a good experience.
      “Because in adversity you have to learn to control yourself, [and] stay on top of things.
      “So when I couldn’t see anything…
      “It’s the first time it’s happened in a fight so I was thinking ‘ok cool, this is the first time my eye has closed in a fight, I can’t see nothing, I’m looking out of one eye’.
      “But it got better as the rounds went on, and we’ll be back.”
      And the former champ finished by saying: “It was a good twelve rounder so I’ll be in a good place when we get back into training to pick up where we left off.”
      It’s not yet clear when or where a rematch between the pair will be, but AJ is desperate to avenge his first-ever stadium defeat.
      Although promoter Eddie Hearn has warned that AJ will need ‘big changes’ to win any potential second bout between the pair.
      Hearn told Sky Sports Box Office: “He will have to make some big changes in the rematch to avenge that defeat.
      “He will want to go straight back into that rematch.”

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