London, Sept. 26 (BUS): Anthony Joshua’s reign as world heavyweight champion is over, and the ‘Battle of Britain’ against Tyson Fury is in tatters after Oleksandr Usek scored a stunning unanimous victory at Tottenham Hotspur.
Usyk was giving up three inches in length and four inches in hand, as well as a weight of nearly 20 pounds, but the former undisputed world champion’s technical acumen came to the fore in an electric joe.
Joshua finished the match by falling to the ropes as his younger opponent was looking for a thrilling finish, and while that wasn’t soon enough, Usyk secured the WBA, IBF and WBO titles after securing the approval of all three judges.
Scores of 117-112, 116-112 and 115-113 were just a bonus after a near-advanced trial from the undefeated Usyk, who became only the third fighter after Evander Holyfield and David Haye to win world titles in cruiserweight and heavyweight.
Joshua, who was bound to take on Usyek, the mandatory WBO contender after a failed match against Fury earlier this year, appeared to accept the score when the results came in as he suffered the second defeat of his career.
He said on Twitter afterwards: “Be positive even if the world collapses in front of you! London I love you and thank you every time!”
In addition to giving up many of Joshua’s physical advantages, Usyk had to contend with the hostile atmosphere that greeted his entry into the ring from the 66,267 fans who attended this match.
But he kept intense focus throughout, and the combination of speed and almost non-stop movement from an awkward southern posture confused Joshua, whose right eye became increasingly swollen as the fight continued after his streaking left hand found its mark.
Joshua was wounded on several occasions, most notably in the final seconds of the fight where a series of punches drove the Briton to the ropes, about to cling to the attack before the judges knocked him out of his misery.
Usyk, who revealed earlier this week that his new look, shaved head and mustache were a nod to his Cossack ancestors, said via a Sky Sports interpreter: “The battle went just as I expected.
“There were a few moments when Anthony pushed me hard but nothing special. I had no goal to bring him down because my angle made me not do it. At first, I hit him and tried to push him off but my coach said ‘just stop and do your job’.”
The 34-year-old Ukrainian, who won heavyweight gold at the London 2012 Olympics the day before Joshua took the podium in the super heavyweight category, was slippery and threw plenty of feints as his opponent tried without much success to prove a jab. .
This was Usik’s third heavyweight fight, having moved into the blue rib section of boxing two years earlier, but he established an early pattern of success where Joshua couldn’t move forward and had his head trembling in the third round through a full-cross left before he The outgoing hero shoots a cautionary shot.
But it was a great start for the Challenger, whose only concern early on was a small cut under his right eye, though Joshua worked his right hand in the fifth and sixth rounds, undoubtedly his best in the fight.
But Usik reasserted his authority early in the second half of the fight, and another left hook sent Joshua back before he regained his footing.
Even at this point, Joshua’s understanding of his nicknames seemed to be slipping.
Another savage beast on the ninth earned a nod of appreciation from Joshua, who had a wound under one of his eyes.
Both fighters seemed to be slowing down in the tournament rounds but Usyk was still noticeably faster than his opponent.
Joshua entered the final round needing at least one or two knockouts to make an impact on the scorecards, but he couldn’t design anything and it was Usek who finished the show as the bell came to save his opponent.