Anthony Joshua has shown his defiance in the face of defeat by firing a stern warning to Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder. Joshua was comprehensively beaten at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday night by Oleksandr Usyk, who became the new WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight champion of the world.
Joshua was outpunched from the outset against Usyk and struggled throughout against the technically superior fighter.
Despite possessing a significant physical advantage, Joshua couldn’t establish a foothold in the contest and was rocked by the Ukrainian’s skill and movement.
Usyk dominated in the early stages before Joshua came back into the fight at the midway point.
But Usyk was relentless and dominated proceedings as the fight wore on. Joshua sustained swelling under his right eye early on and his injury worsened throughout the fight.
Joshua needed a stoppage in the 12th round and Usyk was eventually declared the winner, with the judges scoring the fight 117-112, 116-112, 115-113 in favour of the challenger.
JUST IN: Anthony Joshua loses unanimous decision to Oleksandr Usyk
After the fight, Joshua was taken to hospital for treatment on his eye and later sent out his defiant message.
“I’ll fight Tyson Fury, Wilder, whatnot, without the belts,” said the 31-year-old.
“The belts are fun, they’re great, it’s legacy. But with or without the belts, I’ll fight whoever.
“‘The Road to Undisputed’ is a nice title to have and a nice title to chase, but would you still watch it without the belts? Exactly.
DON’T MISS
“That’s the main thing – that you’ve got two competitors in the ring from UK soil that just want to go toe-to-toe.”
Ahead of Saturday’s bout, Joshua had labelled Usyk as the second toughest opponent of his career.
“On paper he sits number two, behind Wladimir Klitschko,” Joshua admitted.
“They’re very different technically. But Usyk is number two because of his success at cruiserweight and then his success so far at heavyweight.”
By the time Joshua faced Klitschko at Wembley Stadium in 2017, the Ukrainian was in his 40s and the Briton knocked him out to win that contest.
Usyk, meanwhile, is 34 years old and proved a much tougher opponent for Joshua on the night.
Like Joshua, Usyk won a gold medal at the London Olympics in 2012 and racked-up a staggering 350 fights as an amateur.
Joshua only fought 35 times in the unpaid ranks and the difference was clear to see at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as the Briton was exposed throughout.
Usyk’s victory redefines the heavyweight division and there will now be huge doubts over whether a long-awaited bout between Joshua and Fury will ever go ahead.
For all the latest Sports News Click Here
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News.
