Anthony Joshua Remains Brutally Honest About Devastating Losses Against Oleksandr Usyk

Anthony Joshua is all set to come back to the ring after a long hiatus since his defeat to Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk. He fought Usyk two times and lost both fights. However, recently he disclosed some truths regarding the fight with Oleksandr Usyk in an interview with iD Boxing.

iD Boxing has posted the interview on Twitter. Anthony Joshua went down memory lane to describe the fights with Usyk. However, he held no grudges against Usyk, but rather he praised the Ukrainian superstar and called him talented. Joshua also said he was beaten by a ‘better man’.

However, before going into what he said about the fight and rematch, let’s go back and see what happened in those fights.

Anthony Joshua vs Oleksandr Usyk-both fights revisited

Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk are both top contenders in the heavyweight division. Before being defeated by Usyk, Joshua was considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the heavyweight category.

The first fight took place on 25th September 2021 in Tottenham Hotspur. In that fight, Joshua faced his mandatory WBO challenger Usyk for the first time. The fight went the distance and Usyk won the match by unanimous decision. The judges scores the fight 117–112, 116–112, and 115–113 in favor of the Ukrainian.

For the rematch, the fight was staged in Saudi Arabia and was billed as ‘Rage on the Red Sea’. It took place on 20th August 2022 and this time also it did not end well for the British boxer. The fight went the distance again, and Usyk won by split decision.

Read more: Jermaine Franklin Cautions Anthony Joshua: “It’s My Time to Shock the World”

However, Joshua shared his perspective on his fights with Usyk.

What did Anthony Joshua say about the previous fights?

Despite the losses, like always, Joshua showed proper sportsmanship and did not badmouth Usyk.

He said, “The first one not good at all. And the second one was a bit better, but not good enough and it just showed me that there is another level, that we’ve got to go to, which is gonna be tough.”

On asking if he is happy about it or not, Joshua answered smilingly, “Oh, I feel like I lost it in the later rounds in the last 2 to 3 rounds I threw it away. That’s my opinion, yeah. But I got beat by a better man. He is a really talented fighter, really good.”

After back-to-back losses, Joshua decided to change his coach. He flew to the US after parting ways with his previous coach, Robert Garcia. AJ is now getting his training under Derick James, and gearing up for the fight with Franklin.

Watch this story: Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury, the fight everyone wanted

However, do you agree with Joshua’s opinion? Let us know in the comments.