After twelve intense rounds, Oleksandr Usyk won the judges’ decision and dispossessed Anthony Joshua of his IBF, WBA and Super-WBO world heavyweight champion belts.
Oleksandr Usyk did not miss his passage from light-heavyweight to heavyweight! For his third fight in the premier boxing category, the Ukrainian got the best of one of the headliners in the person of Anthony Joshua in a duel of Olympic champions in 2012 in the British capital. In the ring set up in the heart of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Oleksandr Usyk showed that he was ready for this fight, he who was the official challenger of “AJ”. At the start of each of the twelve rounds, the native of Simferopol took his opponent by the throat but the Briton started off in control in a first round which saw the two fighters observe each other. However, Oleksandr Usyk started to hit Anthony Joshua, who faltered markedly in the third round. A warning that the Briton received, increasing the pace but without succeeding in weakening a Ukrainian showing great mobility. Announced the favorite of this fight, “AJ” has lost its splendor to the point that the 60,000 spectators did not put an incredible atmosphere in the London enclosure. After wanting to raise the tone, the Briton saw his opponent respond with a thunderous start to the tenth round. Three minutes during which the two fighters approached the limit.
Oleksandr Usyk beats Anthony Joshua by UD. Congratulations ?? #AndTheNew WBA Heavyweight Super Champion @usykaa ?? ?? #Boxing #Boxing #WBA #WBABoxing #WBA100years #JoshuaUsyk pic.twitter.com/BRDObUAZWT
— WBA Boxing (@WBABoxing) September 25, 2021
Usyk equals Haye and Holyfield
Indeed, While Oleksandr Usyk was cut in his right eye, Anthony Joshua saw his right eye close as blood leaked from his nose. After a balanced eleventh round, Anthony Joshua realized he had to give his all in the last three minutes to snatch the decision before the limit. But the Ukrainian did not hide and multiplied the blows, approaching KO in the very last seconds. However, the bell intervened to save “AJ” pending the decision of the three judges. The latter turned out to be unanimous in favor of Oleksandr Usyk (117-112, 116-112, 115-113) who seizes three of the four belts of the world heavyweight champion.. “I did not have the objective of knocking him out,” said the Ukrainian shortly after the end of the fight. My corner told me not to look for the knockout, I wanted to but my coach told me to take my time. »With this success, the 34-year-old boxer becomes the third to win a light heavyweight title and then succeed in his stint at the heavyweight after David Haye and especially the legend Evander Holyfield. While Anthony Joshua, who appeared exhausted at the end of the twelve rounds, could soon be entitled to a rematch, a unification of the belts against Tyson Fury or Deontay Wilder could prove to be very enticing in the future. for the one who achieved this performance in the light-heavyweight.
