Case defence FOR THE
AJ RESPECTS USYK’S WAR FIGHT
ANTHONY JOSHUA admits he’d find boxing Oleksandr Usyk tough if the roles were reversed and his homeland was besieged by war.
And the former world heavyweight champion has nothing but respect for the way the man who dethroned him took up arms to help defend Ukraine in February following Russia’s invasion.
The two men will meet on Saturday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, 11 months after they clashed for the first time at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Joshua said: “If it was me, yes, my country being at war would definitely have an impact and I don’t know if it would be positive or negative.
“I don’t know how I would deal with it but I know it would be tough.
“But I have never lived in anything like a conflict like that, so I don’t know the sort of ramifications it would have on me.
“I respect what he has done 100 per cent. It’s his home, isn’t it? You have to defend your home.
“It is such a shame that civilians get the worst end of the bargain in wars, when it is a political issue.
“He is just trying to defend his community, so I respect him.
“I would have done the same, not as a boxer or a warrior, just as a general person.
“People have decided not to leave and to defend their homes, that has nothing to do with being a warrior. “I respect what he has done.” Former cruiserweight world champ Usyk already had the respect of the boxing fraternity when he stepped up to heavyweight and climbed into the ring to face Joshua in his third fight in the division.
But that respect reached new levels altogether after he comprehensively outboxed the Brit.
Joshua, by his own admission, simply did not make use of the considerable size advantage he holds over Usyk, although he is adamant that won’t be the case this time.
Asked if he plans to use his physical advantage and power more in the rematch, he said: “Yes, it’s evident isn’t it? It’s not a secret.
“They are things that I need to use but it’s easier said than done.
“It’s evident I am stronger and bigger and, if I can impose my strengths on him, I will have a better chance of winning the fight.”
The pair’s rematch looked in serious jeopardy in the early days of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine but Joshua was never going to put any added pressure on Usyk in an already dreadful situation.
He added: “I didn’t want us to say, ‘This is the date it has to be,’ I wanted us to work together. That’s the way we show compassion.
“He wanted to compete and defend the belts, it was scheduled for around June 11, then it changed for his and Saudi’s reasons. But I feel like it has now worked out.”