Oleksandr Usyk shocked the world last night. After 12 rounds of action, the undisputed cruiserweight champion defeated Anthony Joshua by unanimous decision. Having already conquered the 190 lbs division with unbelievable dominance, Usyk is now the new heavyweight world champion.
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Beating Joshua in an intense outing, Usyk proved he is an extremely unconventional heavyweight and a force to be reckoned with. The Ukrainian champion showed a unique set of skills; he kept moving in and out of the pocket, constantly moved his head from side to side to avoid any big right hands, parried away Joshua’s jabs, and landed extremely effective shots.
Something’s not quite right here
Notably, as the fight edged close to its conclusion, fans and experts picked up on something rather odd, raising questions. While the on-screen clock showed there were still nearly 10 seconds left in round 12, the bell rung seven seconds earlier.
Read More: Who Is Anthony Joshua’s Trainer, Rob McCracken?
Among many others, Joe Rogan pointed this out on social media. He speculated that this was done to save Anthony Joshua from further damage, seconds away from the end of the fight.
“Did they really ring the bell for the last round early? As I saw on frankboxingcoach of you count down the seconds you can see they rang the bell 5 seconds early? Was it to save AJ? Very strange?” questioned Joe Rogan.
Oleksandr Usyk completely dominated Anthony Joshua
Many experts, analysts, and even other fighters like Tyson Fury expected the fight to progress in an “awkward” fashion. Due to the differences in styles, many predicted a slow start, with both fighters assessing each other’s game plans till at least round 5.
Anthony Joshua showcased a very straightforward approach against the southpaw. He focussed on landing jabs to create and maintain distance at all times; however, he shied away from capitalizing on his heavyweight strength.
Joshua did not land many effective cross punches and did not work the body as well as he did in the Andy Ruiz rematch.
Oleksandr Usyk walked out towards the ring like a man on a mission, with an astronaut-like outfit. Throughout the fight, it felt like Usyk knew exactly what he needed to do to get past Anthony Joshua. He had the blueprint ready in his mind and his performance proved that last night.
The Ukrainian knew AJ would try to create distance with his jab and would try to land big cross shots. Using his clever southpaw style, he moved in and around the pocket constantly, and that confused Joshua.
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AJ had shared that he had spared many southpaws in training camp; however, he would have never expected Usyk to quite literally close the distance with ease and even move behind him in a split second.
His ‘stick and move’ approach was simply a bit much for Anthony Joshua to handle.
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Using his brilliant movement, footwork, defense, and striking, Oleksandr Usyk caused one of the biggest upsets of all time. While many had underestimated him based on his performance against Derek Chisora, Usyk kept things to himself and let his work do the talking. The division now knows who and what they’re truly up against.
Also Read: Who Won Andy Ruiz Jr. vs. Anthony Joshua 1?: Results, Scorecards, Purses, Full Fight, and PPV Buys