Joshua vs Usyk press conference LIVE: Latest updates as heavyweights face off ahead of rematch
See what Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk had to say in London ahead of their rematch this August
Anthony Joshua has said he is ‘desperate’ to avenge his loss to Oleksandr Usyk when the pair clash again this August, while the unbeaten Ukrainian has claimed that he is fighting to ‘save’ his ‘soul’.
Usyk outpointed Joshua with ease last September, taking the WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO heavyweight titles from the Briton in north London. Now the pair are preparing to go head to head again, this time in Saudi Arabia, on 20 August. Speaking at a press conference in London on Wednesday, Joshua said: “Listen, it’s a rough and tough sport, especially fighting these lefties; they’re a nightmare. “But it is what it is, isn’t it? You’ve gotta dig deep, tuck up, and not make the same mistake twice [...] I’m definitely desperate to get my hands on [the titles]. Less talk, more action. Let me get in there and do my job. I’m not a comedian, I’m not someone who writes speeches... I’m definitely hungry, definitely desperate, but at the end of the day, how I perform will speak volumes to the masses.”
Former undisputed cruiserweight champion Usyk, meanwhile, said: “I’m not fighting for money or recognition – I don’t need this. I don’t need to become the greatest, I’m just doing my job now and will continue doing it as long as my heart is beating. The only thing I’m on my way to is to save my soul. Everything else is just life [...] I do understand that he’s gonna be different, so will I.”
Re-live updates below.
‘Desperate’ Anthony Joshua aware of stakes as he prepares for rematch with ‘nightmare’ Oleksandr Usyk
Oleksandr Usyk fighting to ‘save my soul’ in Anthony Joshua rematch
Anthony Joshua’s rematch with Oleksandr Usyk is not the ‘last chance’ you think it is
The Independent’s pound-for-pound boxing rankings
Joshua vs Usyk press conference
Joshua on if he knows what he needs to do to win:
“Um... I could say that, but I didn’t come out victorious last time. But 12 rounds in the bank is good, good footage to watch, but every fight is different.
“No matter how many videos you’ve watched, how many staredowns you’ve had, no matter how many press conferences you’ve done, it’s just completely different in the ring.
“Twelve rounds is good, but you can’t take too much away from it. You’ve got to be in the moment; what happened then is in the past, I don’t really live in the past.
“I’ll be looking forward to competing round by round. If I follow my As, Bs and Cs, it should lead me to KO.”
Joshua vs Usyk press conference
Joshua: “Robert Garcia’s a good man. Straight after the [first fight], I spent time in America. It’s something I should have done early in my career. So, young fighters coming up: Go to the States, get out there, travel.
“Branching out has been good with Robert Garcia. Shoutout to [former coach] Rob McCracken and all the team up there as well, I respect him and everything that we’ve achieved, so there’s no love lost.
“But I need to make some sort of important decisions for myself as well. Yeah, it’s new, it’s something different, but the objective is the same: to win a fight, to look at your opponent and take something away from them, a bit of their spirit when you’re in the ring.”
Joshua vs Usyk press conference
Joshua: “It’s hard to say from a head-to-head who’s gonna win a championship fight, but for some, they could think, ‘That’s a 1-0 victory.’
“In terms of ‘old AJ’... same old G, just doing what I’m doing – grafting away. Listen, it’s a rough and tough sport, especially fighting these lefties; they’re a nightmare.
“But it is what it is, isn’t it? You’ve gotta dig deep, tuck up, and not make the same mistake twice.”
Joshua vs Usyk press conference
Now it’s the turn of Alex Krassyuk, Usyk’s promoter:
“Our hearts and the hearts of the whole world are bleeding for the events that are taking place in our homeland, but Ukrainians are strong, and Usyk is the true son of the Ukrainian nation.
“It took us some huge efforts to make this fight happen, we are now representing Ukraine with hearts full of pride and determination. So, I wish success to Anthony Joshua, and let the best man win.”
Joshua vs Usyk press conference
Egis Klismas, Usyk’s manager, is next to speak:
“In terms of Jeddah... we saw something different, something interesting, something new for the sport.
“We were treated like kings there, we did a lot of promo shooting, and we can’t wait to go back to Saudi.”
Joshua vs Usyk press conference
Joshua’s new coach Robert Garcia is first to speak:
“We’re training very hard, Angel Fernandez and myself, we’re doing whatever it takes to come out with a win.
“The whole team, everybody around us, is very positive. We have to do whatever it takes, we have to come out with different strategies in case one doesn’t work
“Anthony’s listening, he believes in us, that’s the most improtnt thing.
“Usyk is a fantastic fighter, very talented. He’s got very different ways to fight, but seeing the size difference... everything’s in Anthony’s advantage. We’ve got to take advantage of that, we’ve got to train him to focus on that.”
Joshua vs Usyk press conference
Joshua is out first. Now here comes Usyk.
Joshua vs Usyk press conference
Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn has just introduced a video package for the rematch against Usyk.
We’ll hear from him again in a moment, then from the fighters shortly.
Joshua vs Usyk press conference
The press conference should start any moment now!
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments