One thing you may take away from Anthony Joshua’s second loss to Oleksandr Usyk may be that Joshua is not giving up. Still, that’s a likely minor consideration compared to the many interesting aspects of the entire bout. This piece takes a look at Anthony Joshua’s loss to Usyk – next steps and more.
The match
Kudos to Anthony Joshua for improving his strategy, style, and approach in this second bout. Certainly, he fared better in the rematch. He had his jabs. The bend to the knees added more to his punches. Moreover, Usyk’s body had to take powerful shots to the midsection. Furthermore, the ninth round saw Joshua putting Usyk on the ropes with the hope of reclaiming the belts. However, his ‘better’ proved not to be good enough to dethrone the champion. Usyk was able to weather the storm and come back in the final three rounds.
The verdicts
Ultimately, Anthony Joshua came up short and suffered back-to-back defeats. The split decision means that Oleksandr Usyk remains the WBA, WBO, and IBF heavyweight champion. Usyk ended up with verdicts of 116-112 and 115-113 in his favour. Meanwhile, one judge awarded a verdict of 115-113 for the challenger.
The immediate aftermath
The emotional toll of the defeat was clearly seen in Joshua’s erratic behavior. The throwing down of two of Usyk’s belts and the return to deliver an impassioned speech. These were all expressions of frustration.
However, Joshua, later on, reflected that he was deeply “upset” with his performance. According to Joshua, his promoter Eddie Hearn has specified December as a possible date for his next fight. Joshua went on to say he does not mind who comes next. Rather, “…Whoever wants it can get it……”
Anthony Joshua’s loss to Usyk – next steps
- With this outcome, there may be some doubt about Joshua meeting Tyson Fury immediately. Rather, a Usyk vs Fury fight seems more plausible.
- However, the thrill and prospects in a Deontay Wilder fight seem to still exist.
- Meanwhile, Andy Ruiz still believes in the need for a trilogy. After all, according to Ruiz, the overall ledger is still one apiece. Surely, this fight has some intrigue considering the backdrop of Joshua’s earlier defeat to Ruiz.
- In the same vein, the heavyweight scene is replete with other possibilities. For instance, Anthony Joshua could throw in with Daniel Dubois and Dillon Whyte for the WBA ‘regular’ title.
The bottom line
After Anthony Joshua’s loss to Usyk – his next steps could involve hanging up his gloves. Surely, he would still be able to hold his head high. After all, he has his record of being an Olympic gold medalist. Similarly, he is a two-time heavyweight champion of the world. However, if he wants to become a three-time world heavyweight champion as he says, he has his work cut out. He simply has to rebuild and get better still.
