Comments Thread For: Oleksandr Usyk Repeats, Wins Split Decision Over Anthony Joshua To Retain Titles

[boxingfan4ever]

Usyk has the winners mentality, much like Fury actually.

you see when Usyk had his worst round, he comes back
And put it on AJ. Like Fury did after he hit the canvas.

That’s why they are where they are I guess. I think AJ is good but he lacks that extra few % of crazy winning mentality.

Still, Fury beats Usyk. He knows how to make his advantages matter. Also, Fury actually knows how to pivot and use a jab at range, which significantly negates angles like Usyk uses. Teofimo negated all Loma’s angles for large parts of the fight with a simple pivot and long jab. It can be done. Briedis showed it too.

Usyk is a brilliant fighter though and it would be a fascinating fight with Fury. But beating a fairly limited AJ and beating Fury are two different very very things.

Let's see. Fury actually has all the physical advantages: height, weight, reach, punch...but Fury looks better against big guys. In Puerto Rico there is a bird that we call "pitirre". He is small, but because of his size which seems to be a disadvantage, he uses it with something called speed. This bird attacks the Puerto Rican eagle (we call it "guaraguao") behind the wing, which is much larger and stronger, but it is difficult for it to face the small and fast movements of the "pitirre". The "guaraguao" always decides to flee so as not to wear himself out against his smaller and more agile adversary. Usyk's key is to fight him inside, keep Fury out of range. That is the key. And that will be very difficult to achieve for 12 rounds. But Usyk has proven that he is capable. Favourite? Fury definitely has more chances to win. But Usyk cannot be ruled out. It will be a great fight!

[Toffee]

I'm trying to contemplate who AJ will fight next, but nobody seems to make sense. AJ's new contract with DAZN is also gonna complicate matters. My first thought was the winner of Joyce/Parker, but politics will get in the way.

It comes down to whether he accepts it's now big fight, big money time or whether he's still chasing belts.

I suspect he'll go for the latter and his commercial backing will be able to make those fights happen. Probably just an easy tune up in between.

Personally I think he should chase the money fights. They've still got to happen in this era.

[Toffee]

AJ will never live down that post fight rant. That was a complete mental breakdown on his part. They should have never made him go back to ring

I don't have a problem with him being emotional (and maybe concussed).

That's where your team needs to help. I can't believe they let it happen.

[deathofaclown]

Joshua's team should of held him back at the end there.

You are right about the pressure, Joshua has been under big pressure. And you must be honest?

He has been the most heavily criticized boxer pretty much in the sport. Right from the start. But that is what happens when you win the Olympic Gold Medal.

Tyson Fury is not held to the same standards as Joshua. Inside the ring, or outside the ring. Not today, or at any point in his career 'And he won't be in the future'.

I think at the end there, Joshua let out a lot of pent up frustration. But I honestly, don't think it was correct for the time 'It was not good mate'.

He definitively should of been held back by his team. I also don't think people should mock him.

Joshua tried, put in a good effort. But he was definitely beat by the better fighter tonight. 100%, I rate Usyk 'And I like him as a fighter'.

Anthony Joshua has won the Olympic Gold Medal, two time heavyweight Champion. Has many sponsors, he has been a winner.

Dealing with a loss is not new to him, but this position he is in now 'Right now is different, this is new'.

He is not down and out, but he cannot claim to be the best Heavyweight in the game. If he has associated this with his identity, these are delicate times.

Joshua needs a good team around him. And Compassion.

yeah I agree,

I think this is the lowest point of his career really. His identity was as the champ, And like I said, when you have a rematch, there is always the hope you can cling onto, the hope of regaining your status. That’s gone now. I think that’s what really hit him.

It’ll be interesting to where he goes. He has plenty to offer as a fighter and can be in other good fights in the division but does he really want to continue after making all that money and now it’s cemented in his own mind he’s not one of the very top boys? - And even if he does continue, maybe he becomes more and more beatable because he’s resigned to the fact he isn’t a top dog.

There’s plenty of fights I’d like to see him in. I think he needs to take time and be completely honest with himself about his desire to fight on. If he wants it, then he’ll be in interesting fights.

[LAchargers373]

Lmao dazn and matchroom down in shambles. AJ won’t beat Joyce or Dubois neither will usyk. Fraud of a HW championship match sad stuff over here

[A.B Counterhooks]

Fury only HW capable beat usyk lets face it, very leveled boxing iq's.

[Quercusalba]

Joshua's team should of held him back at the end there.

You are right about the pressure, Joshua has been under big pressure. And you must be honest?

He has been the most heavily criticized boxer pretty much in the sport. Right from the start. But that is what happens when you win the Olympic Gold Medal.

Tyson Fury is not held to the same standards as Joshua. Inside the ring, or outside the ring. Not today, or at any point in his career 'And he won't be in the future'.

I think at the end there, Joshua let out a lot of pent up frustration. But I honestly, don't think it was correct for the time 'It was not good mate'.

He definitively should of been held back by his team. I also don't think people should mock him.

Joshua tried, put in a good effort. But he was definitely beat by the better fighter tonight. 100%, I rate Usyk 'And I like him as a fighter'.

Anthony Joshua has won the Olympic Gold Medal, two time heavyweight Champion. Has many sponsors, he has been a winner.

Dealing with a loss is not new to him, but this position he is in now 'Right now is different, this is new'.

He is not down and out, but he cannot claim to be the best Heavyweight in the game. If he has associated this with his identity, these are delicate times.

Joshua needs a good team around him. And Compassion.

Fury has been pretty darn judged. After he beat Wlad, a lot of the UK, rightly or wrongly rejected him.

Then, when he obliterated Wilder, a few months later the twitter/youtube mob denigrated his accomplishment with absurd allegations of cheating. Fury without question gets held to unfair standards.

[VislorTurlough]

Hearn showed his true face here. His fighter was having an emotional breakdown. On live TV. Yet there was no Matchroom intervention. Hearn is responsible. A colossally bad guy and now everyone knows it. Freaking creep

[deathofaclown]

I'm trying to contemplate who AJ will fight next, but nobody seems to make sense. AJ's new contract with DAZN is also gonna complicate matters. My first thought was the winner of Joyce/Parker, but politics will get in the way.

Whyte

Both coming off a loss, So people can’t really the a finger that one is picking a fighter coming of a loss when they both are.

it’s personal, they’ve always disliked each other

Eddie has always talked about that rematch. It’s still a pretty big fight in the UK if they bill it as a crossroads fight for both.

Not really a fight I’ll be very excited about, but we would all tune in. it makes sense for DAZN and Eddie Hearn to put that fight together.

[P to the J]

I'm another who said Usyk decision. Usyk wasn't stopping Joshua.

By the same token, Joshua wasn't beating Usyk over 12... he needed to win in 8/9.

Joshua was a bit more aggressive, a bit more focused on hitting anything (ie less headhunting)... but his ego still had him come out and try to move like a middleweight. He didn't need that and he couldn't keep it up beyond 3 rounds. Do you know how tiring it is to bounce on bended legs when you weight 240?

Plenty will disagree with my card but I had it level after 4, 6 and 8 rounds. After 4 you could make a case that Joshua was having the better of the fight overall but his chance of winning had reduced. Pipping some early rounds doesn't mean schitt when you know he's already fading and is going to lose the majority going forward and certainly the last 3.

He still wasn't committing enough to his shots early on. He'd have been better putting everything into 8 rounds and then getting stopped in the 9th. I couldn't see any other way he could win.

In the end - the way that fight went was entirely predictable. Huge credit to Usyk, but Joshua was the one who needed to change the script. He needed to let his ego go and realise he couldn't box with the man and win if it went late.

My argument is he wasn’t trying to box but that Usyk, like any top-drawer sportsman or sports team, made his opponent ask himself too many questions at speeds that they can’t possibly process, thus driving indecision.

what looked like “boxing” to everyone else, looked to me like falling into a near unavoidable mental trap