Oleksandr Usyk surprised many boxing fans with a relatively easy victory over former three-belt heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua. The unanimous decision victory makes Usyk a champion in both the heavyweight and cruiserweight divisions.
Longtime fans of Usyk were not as surprised by the masterful boxing performance turned in by the former Olympic champion. The Ukrainian showed great footwork, an accurate jab, and explosive combinations while wowing more than 66,000 boxing fans at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Oleksandr Usyk, now 34 years old and undefeated in 19 professional fights, had Joshua in trouble in both the third and seventh rounds of their championship fight. Usyk nearly stopped the former champion in the twelfth and final round.
Joshua falls to 24-2 with 22 knockouts. The 31-year-old has now lost his heavyweight titles twice over the last two years. The loss to Usyk derails Joshua’s plan to fight for the undisputed title against the Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder trilogy fight winner on October 9.
Promoter Eddie Hearn characterized the loss as a “devastating defeat.” He also did not spare the compliments for the victor. “Usyk’s got great feet. He threw a lot of punches.”
There is not much doubt Joshua will push for an immediate rematch. He regained the belts he lost to Andy Ruiz in June 2019 in a rematch six months later.
Winning a rematch with Usyk may prove a bit more difficult for Anthony Joshua. The new champion gave up a considerable size in the boxing match but was more elusive and beat the bigger man to the punch. Anthony Joshua did not mount a serious threat to Usyk over the 12 round fight.
The victory makes Usyk the third fighter to win championships at both the heavyweight and cruiserweight divisions. The first two fighters to do so were Evander Holyfield and David Haye.