Oleksandr Usyk claimed that he never wanted Anthony Joshua to be knocked out in his fight against him back-to-back at the WBA, IBF and WBO Heavyweight Championships.
Joshua and Usyk first shared the ring in September 2021 at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The Ukrainian was too skilled to win, winning a unanimous 12-round decision and becoming the first ex-Cruiserweight world champion to achieve a heavyweight title since David Haye.
One year later, the pair met again at the Jeddah Superdrome (Saudi Arabia) in August 2022. Despite the rematch being much more competitive, Usyk emerged victorious and was awarded a split decision by the judges.
When Oleksandr Usyk was asked why he didn’t KO Anthony Joshua, his response was: “Why aren’t you so bloodthirsty?” Everything is fine, there is victory. Why is it necessary to let someone fall? He has a father and mother. If a person falls, this is a huge chunk of their health. I don’t support that.” — Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) April 10, 2023
Oleksandr Usyk was a former Olympic gold medallist, and undisputed champion at cruiserweight. He never came close to stopping Joshua in either fight. In round 12, Usyk fought AJ in the final seconds of their first encounter. However, the bell saved the Brit and he was not hurt.
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Joshua was close to winning the knockout in the rematch. The Watford native landed an impressive body shot that seemed almost to hurt Usyk. However, Usyk displayed great survival skills to get out of the round.
Ring Magazine’s number one heavyweight has two victories over Joshua and it is impossible to know if his recent comments were genuine. It is not surprising that Usyk was able to stop Tony Bellew at Manchester Arena in 2018 and knock out Cesar David Crenz in his early professional career.
It is not surprising that Usyk, a naturally small heavyweight was unable drop someone twenty pounds heavier than him, like Anthony Joshua.
Oleksandr Usyk’s Promoter on Potential Fight with Daniel Dubois
Oleksandr Usyk, who failed to make Tyson Fury the undisputed heavyweight champion, is said to be in talks to face Daniel Dubois, the WBA (Regular Champion) Champion and mandatory challenger. Alex Krassyuk, Usyk’s promoter, is concerned that Dubois might not be physically fit to take part in the bout.
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Krassyuk stated that Daniel Dubois’ health is the only issue at this time. If he’s healthy, then he can fight,” a Krassyuk interview with International Boxing News.
“We all saw the serious injury he sustained in his last fight. We want him to be 100% healthy.
“Because his injury wasn’t fully recovered. This is why we want to avoid it. The WBA requested an independent inspection by doctors. We wait to hear their conclusions on Dubois.
Dubois defeated Kevin Lerena in December’s last fight. He won via third round stoppage. “Dynamite” had a problem with his right foot in the first round and was forced to touch the ground three times. After the fight, it was confirmed that Dubois had torn an ACL. It would take him over six months to heal.
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Usyk may need to search for other opponents. Deontay Wilder has been closely linked to the Ukrainian fighter, which could be used as a defense. “The Bronze Bomber” has said many times that he would love to face Usyk, and many boxers believe this is an exciting match up.
Another option is for Usyk to be called by another sanctioning body. Filip Hrgovic is the top IBF ranking and is coming off a major decision over Zhilei Zhilei. Joe Joyce, the WBO Interim Heavyweight Champion, is currently in the top of the IBF rankings and will fight Zhang at the Copper Box Arena in London.