Boxing: Anthony Joshua gives up his world crown to Oleksandr USYK

Thunderbolt in the ring: the world champion WBA, WBO and IBF heavy goods vehicles, Anthony Joshua, was clearly beaten at his home in London, by Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk, Saturday, September 25.

Mounted in 2019 heavy-légers where he was unified world champion, Usyk made his technique and his superior liveliness speak in front of a Joshua who has never really found his pace.The Briton, who concedes his second defeat in twenty-six fights, was beaten at the points and unanimously of the judges (117-112, 116-112, 115-113).

"The fight happened exactly as I thought.Sometimes he jostled me, but never too strong, "said Usyk, still undefeated in nineteen fights, after the match at the microphone of Sky Sport."My goal was not to put it K.-O.At first I was tapping hard to try to put it K.-O., but my trainer asked me to stop and just do my job, "he added.

A clause for revenge

Because of this defeat, Joshua and everyone in boxing see the prospect of a 100 % British unification fight against Tyson Fury, the WBC champion, who is due to face Deontay Wilder in Las Vegas on October 9.

Joshua has a clause for a second fight against Usyk to try to recover his belts, as he had done in December 2019, after the first defeat of his professional career, against Andy Ruiz Jr. in June 2019.

Before projecting towards a revenge or another challenge, Joshua will have to digest this failed meeting.Matchroom, the promoter of the two boxers, had done things big, not beating on fireworks and other pyrotechnic effects around Joshua's entrance.

Very relaxed, he dandinated himself and had saved the anthem commanded by one of his main sponsors, encouraging by arms movements the sixty thousand spectators present in the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to make even more noise.Before him, the Ukrainian champion had entered the hoots in an outfit evoking a combination of cosmonaut, with a reflective visor.

Around the ring was a profusion of athletes and personalities, such as the quadruple Olympic athletics champion Mo Farah, the English international football Declan Rice or actors like Idris Elba.

Faced with an opponent evolving into "false legs" - a left -handed with a right fist forward -, smaller by seven centimeters and with a shorter lengthening of ten centimeters, the champion was initially careful.

The liveliness of the "cat" paid

During the first two rounds, he especially looked for the right distance with jabs from the left.But in the third, it was USYK who was the first to try to support his blows by taking advantage of his greatest liveliness of displacement and arms which earned him the nickname "cat", touching Joshua in the face of a hookFrom left to fifteen seconds from the bell.

Il a fallu attendre le 5^e round pour sentir le Britannique rentrer dans son combat et devenir plus actif en cherchant à varier ses frappes et travailler aussi au corps. L’Ukrainien, qui n’en était qu’à son troisième combat en lourds, après avoir dominé la catégorie des lourds-légers, a commencé à tâter de plus en plus de la droite de Joshua, perdant les 5^e et 6^e rounds.

Il s’est rebellé dans le 7^e round, faisant reculer sur ses appuis Joshua après un large crochet du gauche à quarante secondes de la fin de la reprise. A la 10^e reprise, les deux boxeurs étaient marqués, l’œil droit de Joshua se fermant alors que du sang coulait d’une coupure au-dessus du même œil chez son adversaire.

We felt that it could still rock on both sides, but Usyk, cooler, more active and more precise, accelerated and widely won the last two times, plunging the stadium in amazement.

A habit with the Ukrainian who has made a specialty to go and beat his opponents at home, whether in Germany, Poland, Russia, the United States or London, as in his last victory, byUnanimous decision, against Dereck Chisora.

The world with AFP

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