Joshua vs Usyk press conference LIVE: Latest updates as heavyweights face off ahead of rematch
Find out what Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk had to say in Saudi Arabia, where their rematch will take place in August
Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk spoke at a press conference in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, previewing their impending rematch as they came face to face for the first time since their initial clash. Usyk dethroned Joshua in London last September by outpointing the Briton to become WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO heavyweight champion. “AJ” will look to avenge that defeat and hand Usyk the first loss of the Ukrainian’s professional career when they rematch on 20 August in Jeddah, where their pre-fight press conference took place.
“The fight with Usyk, he bust my a** for some rounds,” Joshua joked. “And I have to take that defeat like a man as well, I have to be accountable. In the fight in September, I was wrong and he was right. Simply I have to reverse that role in August. I don’t like to overcomplicate the situation, because there’s simplicity in genius. I’m just gonna keep things simple.”
The rematch was expected to take place in spring, but Usyk instead returned to his native Ukraine to aid the country’s defence against the ongoing Russian invasion. Addressing his compatriots on Tuesday, Usyk said: “As you all know, we are not in the best conditions at the moment back home. I never made some very loud and bright speeches, all I did was just work hard in my training camp, my gym, that’s what I’m gonna do until the date of the fight. Then I will enter the ring and I will make you happy with my boxing.” Find out what else Joshua and Usyk had to say, below.
Usyk vs Joshua 2 press conference
T-minus 30 minutes until the press conference begins!
Usyk vs Joshua 2 press conference
Speaking of Fury... Here’s Indy Sport columnist Steve Bunce on why the boxers who fight retirement always lose:
“Fighters retire and go into exile for a variety of reasons and stay retired and stay in exile for a variety of reasons. Muhammad Ali was stopped from fighting by the US government, Marvin Hagler refused to fight again because of boxing politics. Hagler’s exile was made complete when he vanished to Italy and went on the missing list.
“Big George Foreman listened to his God when he quit and heard the same voice when he started to fight again 10 years later. Floyd Mayweather was carefully picking his opponents long before his retirement from boxing; Mayweather will continue to blur the line between retirement, exhibition fight, real fight, ceremony and event for a long, long time. Mayweather has set the agenda; the others will follow on a circuit of golden oldies.
“Fury will be back next year in a real fight, this year possibly in an exhibition and then expect that pattern to last for a decade or more. Fury insists that he will be fighting for all the right reasons: Cash and fun. I hope so.”
Full article below:
The boxers who fight retirement always lose
It would be foolish to rule out any fighter ending their retirement in a business that defies most rules and regulations, but they would also be foolish to do it writes Steve Bunce
Usyk vs Joshua 2 press conference
The obvious question is whether the #RageOnTheRedSea marks Joshua’s last chance to set up an in-ring meeting with Tyson Fury, who claims – to the disbelief of most – that he has had his last dance.
Most would answer ‘yes’, but when Joshua, 32, was knocked out by Andy Ruiz Jr three years ago, the feeling was the same. Yet AJ responded with a mature performance at the end of 2019 to outpoint Ruiz Jr and reclaim his heavyweight belts. When the Briton lost them again, this time to Usyk last autumn, the probability of a clash with Fury faded to a mere possibility and then – with Fury’s ‘retirement’ after knocking out Dillian Whyte in April – an improbability.
And yes, if Joshua is to lose to Usyk once more, it is all but certain that we will never see that all-British heavyweight unification bout. It will be the lost fight of this generation, in Britain at least.
If Joshua is indeed defeated by the unbeaten Ukrainian again, calls for his retirement will be loud and plentiful – if unjustified. For Joshua, as much as he was seemingly engineered from birth and later moulded by Hearn to be heavyweight champion, does not need to be defined by that status; nor does his career need to be defined by a potential fight with Fury.
Full article below:
Anthony Joshua’s rematch with Oleksandr Usyk is not the ‘last chance’ you think it is
A win for the Brit could yet set up a titanic clash with Tyson Fury, but a loss could launch the most intriguing phase of the heavyweight’s career yet
Usyk vs Joshua 2 press conference
Usyk-Joshua 2 was finally announced on Sunday. Here’s our story:
Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk’s rematch will officially take place on 20 August in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Usyk took the WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO heavyweight titles from Joshua in September, beating the Briton via unanimous decision at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.
Now Joshua (24-2, 22 knockouts) will look to avenge that defeat and regain the belts, but to do so he must do something that no fighter has managed during Usyk’s professional career: beat the Ukrainian.
A rematch between the pair was expected to take place this spring, but Usyk (19-0, 13 KOs) instead returned to his home country to aid Ukraine’s defence against the ongoing Russian invasion.
The 35-year-old – the only man to have been undisputed cruiserweight champion in the four-belt era – ultimately left Ukraine to begin training for a second fight with Joshua, and that bout has now been announced at last.
More below:
Joshua vs Usyk 2 date and location confirmed
‘AJ’ will look to regain the heavyweight titles that he lost to the unbeaten Ukrainian last year
Usyk vs Joshua 2 press conference
Usyk vs Joshua 2 press conference
Usyk vs Joshua 2 press conference
Ahead of their highly-anticipated rematch this August, Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk will take part in a press conference today and come face to face for the first time since their heavyweight title fight in London last September.
Usyk outboxed Joshua at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to ease to a unanimous-decision win and claim the WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO belts. In doing so, the Ukrainian remained unbeaten, while the result marked the second time “AJ” had lost as a professional and the second time he had dropped the titles. Joshua will bid to regain the gold in this rematch, just as he did against Andy Ruiz Jr in 2019, with the Briton’s second clash with Usyk scheduled for 20 August. It had been expected to be held in spring, but Usyk returned to his home country to aid its defence against the ongoing Russian invasion, forcing a delay.
The fight will now take place in Saudi Arabia, where Joshua outpointed Ruiz Jr to avenge his knockout loss to the Mexican-American three years ago, though that rematch was held in Riyadh, while Usyk-Joshua 2 will play out in Jeddah. An exact venue could be announced at today’s press conference, where Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn is also set to be present.
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