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Reuters

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Reuters

On an astonishing night in the ring, Oleksandr Usyk came, saw, and conquered. After twelve rounds of breath-taking boxing against Anthony Joshua, the Ukrainian secured a unanimous decision victory. As Joshua simply did not seem cut out for a toe-to-toe bout, Usyk is now the new heavyweight world champion.

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Not just to AJ, but to most conventional heavyweights, Oleksandr Usyk is now a force to be reckoned with. However, Usyk is not the first fighter to get past Anthony Joshua; Andy Ruiz Jr. did it first in 2019.

Now, as the once undisputed tasted defeat yet again, Andy Ruiz Jr shared his reaction to his former opponent falling prey to yet another heavyweight, marking his second career loss.

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Read More: Tyson Fury Saw Fight With Anthony Joshua Go “Down the Drain”, Says Frank Warren

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Yeah man, congratulations Usyk, he did his thing, look at that, Jesus Christ right there baby, congratulations brother,” said Andy Ruiz.

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Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz Jr. trilogy over an Usyk rematch?

The initial Usyk-Joshua contract made room for a rematch clause that AJ could invoke, in case he lost the first fight. Courtesy of the infamous result, now hungry for redemption, Joshua has expressed that he wants to run it back with Usyk right away.

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In the post-fight presser, he said that this would be the equivalent of extending his training camp for the first fight. Moreover, he seems to have taken this loss as yet another takeaway. Before another clash, he is now looking forward to making the necessary adjustments.

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However, would it make sense for Anthony Joshua to step into a rematch with Oleksandr Usyk right away?

What’s the next right move for AJ?

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As the two giants locked horns, there seemed to be an enormous difference in their fighting styles. Oleksandr Usyk kept pressing on his opponent with his footwork and constant movement. His southpaw approach enabled him to move in and out of the pocket and, at times, even right behind him. Anthony Joshua appeared lost and simply couldn’t keep up with his counterpart’s speed and fight IQ.

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With no belts on the line, Joshua could have been a bit more flexible, in terms of choosing opponents. Perhaps, AJ could use a tune-up fight before facing Usyk again for his titles.

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A feasible option could be to run it back with Andy Ruiz Jr. for a trilogy fight. A second win over Ruiz could help him boost confidence and motivate him to step back into the ring with the former cruiserweight and current heavyweight world champion.

Also Read: “Very Strange?”: Joe Rogan Fuels Conspiracy Theory Surrounding Anthony Joshua

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Sanjit Misra

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Sanjit Misra is a boxing author at EssentiallySports. Sanjit fused his passion for writing with his love for jabs, hooks, and uppercuts and entered the realm of boxing journalism. The elegance, the sweet science, and the finesse of hand-to-hand combat was what initially drew him into the world of boxing. What started as a mere fascination for watching old fights of boxing icons like Mike Tyson and Manny Pacquiao has now evolved into a near obsession for Sanjit. While not avidly following combat sports, he can be found rewatching the Lord of the Rings trilogy, reading Jeffrey Archer novels, or listening to Joe Rogan’s podcast.

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