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Oleksandr Usyk Downplays Anthony Joshua’s Boxing Skills in Post-Fight Interview

Published 09/25/2021, 7:13 PM EDT

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via Reuters

Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua’s fight went down in the history books as one of the most intense and iconic bouts. Both these boxers showed immense character and skills to keep the fans engaged till the last gong. However, the Ukrainian fighting sensation pulled off an upset by defeating the British stalwart in the biggest fight of his career.

Usyk bagged a unanimous decision win and left no doubts about his performance against the big man, ‘AJ’.

In his post-fight interview, the 34-year-old shed some light on Joshua’s skills and this fight. He said, ‘‘The fight went the way I expected it to go. There were a couple of moments where Anthony Joshua pushed me hard, but just nothing special.”

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Right from the start, the southpaw wanted to keep Joshua on the back foot. That said, he pressed ahead with his shots, displayed incredible movement, and had considerable moments throughout those 36 mins. Looking at the way Usyk was moving, many felt he wouldn’t have enough stamina in the concluding rounds. But, defying all the odds, the underdog remained on his toes till the last bell.

Joshua waited eagerly for the chance to connect with that one right hand as he was the more powerful boxer, but Usyk didn’t give him a single chance to land his best shot. Instead, the ex-cruiserweight champ broke into Joshua‘s defense and landed some crucifying straight lefts and hooks.

Oleksandr Usyk – A master strategist of boxing

Usyk decoded Joshua’s approach in the initial rounds itself. With that, he kept counter-attacking Joshua as he knew the Brit would come ahead to land a huge right.

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The Ukrainian boxer adopted the strategy to hit and not get hit in return. To his credit, he successfully executed this game plan.

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Although Joshua stunned Usyk with some of his jabs, the latter seemed unmoved throughout the contest. With this win, Usyk now sits at the peak of the most dynamic division in boxing.

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What do you make of Usyk’s above comments? Would you be interested in a rematch?

Watch this story – Event Recap: Best Moments From Anthony Joshua vs. Oleksandr Usyk

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Written by:

Prathamesh Singh Chauhan

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Prathamesh Singh Chauhan is a Boxing Author at EssentiallySports. He is a graduate from the International Institute of Sports Management who combines his love for sports, particularly combat sports, and his flair for writing and analysis to help him in his day-to-day work. He has prior professional experience with sporting organizations such as Star Sports, Khelo India, and NBA.
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