Boxing: Joshua’s inglorious defeat
It was “supposed to be a formality”, said Josh Glancy in The Sunday Times – a “gentle speedbump” on Anthony Joshua’s route to a long-awaited showdown with Tyson Fury. It didn’t work out that way: at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday, 31-year-old Joshua surrendered his triple-heavyweight crown with a points defeat to 34-year-old Oleksandr Usyk. Joshua’s hopes of facing Fury – an all-British fight that would see the winner crowned undisputed heavyweight champion – now rest on him winning a rematch against the Ukrainian.
Sadly for Joshua this was no freak result, said Gareth
A. Davies in The Daily Telegraph. Usyk was simply the better boxer. Despite carrying a weight advantage of 19lbs, Joshua was “unable to land with brute force” on his fleet-footed opponent, whose darting movement proved decisive over 12 rounds. Usyk, a former world champion in the cruiserweight class, put on a tactical masterclass, said Ron Lewis in The Times. Although his skills as a boxer have long been apparent, some said he lacked the brawn to thrive in a division “packed with giants”. But by using “Joshua’s size advantage against him” on Saturday, evading capture and bringing up punches from unusual angles, he proved beyond doubt that he can compete with the best.
Joshua, for his part, was “badly exposed” in what was only the second defeat of his professional career, said Donald McRae in The Guardian. After his previous loss – to Andy Ruiz Jr. in June 2019 – he rebounded to win the rematch. But “unlike the illdisciplined and poorly conditioned Ruiz, Usyk has the skill and the resolve to hold on to his new titles for a much more sustained period”. If Joshua is ever to get the chance to fight Fury, he will have to significantly raise his level.