Boxing: 5 reasons Anthony Joshua lost to Usyk for second time

The “Rage on the Red Sea” is done and dusted, and Oleksandr Usyk, the stocky Ukrainian, defeated his British-Nigerian adversary, Anthony Joshua, in the scorching heat of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in the highly anticipated rematch, which went all the way to 12 rounds. It was the second time in nearly a year that both boxers had exchanged blows, with Usyk creating an upset against the then-champion Joshua to become the unified world heavyweight boxing champion in the first fight.

Judges Viktor Fesechko of Ukraine and Steve Gray of Britain scored it 116-112 and 115-113, respectively, in favour of Usyk, while Glenn Feldman of the USA scored the bout 115-113 for Joshua. The split decision win at the King Abdullah Sports City Arena in Jeddah in the early hours of 21 August 2022 ensures that Usyk, who recently left the battleground defending Ukraine in its bloody war against Russia, retained the WBA (Super), WBO, and IBF heavyweight titles he won in London, the British capital, last September.

For Joshua, the defeat was too much to take or bear, which showed in his emotions and reaction after the bout. The distraught Joshua had every reason to be angry with himself. Following a change in his trainer, with Robert Garcia and Angel Fernandez in his corner, Joshua put a valiant and much-improved performance to the first bout against his opponent in 2021. According to Sky Sports, the official scorecard of the bout suggested that the Briton was leading after nine rounds. He had won his rematch against former champion, Andy Ruiz, in Saudi Arabia and had hoped to be favoured once again in the Arabian country, but it was not to be.

As a result of the loss, there are huge question marks about the future of the former world champion in boxing. Below is an analysis of the fight, stating five reasons why Joshua lost his rematch to Usyk.

ALSO READ: Anthony Joshua vs Usyk: Is a brilliant comeback possible for AJ?

Inability to match Usyk’s style

As mentioned earlier, Joshua performed a vastly-improved performance during the “Rage on the Red Sea.” He had a game plan by hitting many body shots to weaken his opponent and utilise that vulnerability to land punches. The strategy ostensibly worked for a while, as Usyk was rattled in the fifth round after one of the body shots hit him below the belt and in the ninth round, a round which can be accurately described as Joshua’s best on the night.

However, the Ukrainian pugilist was just too clever and street-smart for his British opposite number. For starters, Joshua struggled to produce counter-effective measures to counter the Southpaw stance of the champion. The Brit had no response to Usyk’s leading right-hand jabs in most rounds. Also, he floundered to cope with the quick, rapid combination of punches, as well as the movement of the Ukrainian. Usyk was, at times, just too quick for Joshua that he swiftly and eluded whatever the challenger threw at him, particularly in the final third of the contest. On the other hand, Joshua struggled to find consistency throughout the bout.

Lack of mobility

Joshua weighed in at 244.5 pounds, slightly up on the 240 pounds before the first encounter against his opponent in September 2021. The additional weight limited the Brit as he could barely move during the latter stages of the title contest. From round 10, it seemed his legs were heavy as he could hardly move around the ring and match up with the pace set by Usyk.

The swift and nifty footwork caused many problems and made the Ukrainian evasive for Joshua. This meant that Joshua was very exposed whenever he went close to Usyk. Because he was unable to move quickly, Joshua was stuck on the spot, which left him vulnerable and open to a combination of rapid punches by Usyk. The punches were effective and hurt Joshua, as evidenced by his opponent’s left-handed punches catching him frequently and the swelling up of his eyes from the sixth round.

ALSO READ: DJ Cuppy declares support for her friend and international boxer, Anthony Joshua amid defeat

Unable to sustain pressure against Usyk in certain situations

There is little or no argument that Joshua was braver in the rematch than in the first fight, and boxing commentators and pundits have acknowledged this. However, Joshua was not more courageous in certain situations; therefore, he was unable to sustain the tempo after he dominated a round.

For instance, Joshua failed to sustain the tempo after having a good fight in rounds three and five. He started well in rounds six and seven, but Usyk finished those rounds on top. The Brit only managed to maintain the pressure he created against the champion in rounds eight and nine. But from round 10, Joshua was nowhere to be found as the Ukrainian dominated the final three rounds of the bout.

Even after landing a powerful right hand from nowhere in round 10, hitting a couple of body shots in round 11, and landing a right hand against the ropes in round 12, the former champion was not relentless in dishing out more of those stingers in those three rounds. Instead, Usyk virtually strolled to victory in the final stages of the contest.

ALSO READ: Wimbledon: Nduka Odizor ’s 1983 exploit, other trivia on world’s oldest tennis competition

Poor stamina

Much has been said of Joshua being his most disciplined and fittest ever for this fight, but his albatross – lack of stamina – returned to haunt him again. In the first bout, the Brit began tiring out as early as round seven or eight, and by round twelve, he was staggering and was barely able to move and throw punches. Some commentators, pundits, and fans even suggested that the final bell in the 12th round saved him from a potential, embarrassing defeat in London.

His conditioning was far better in Jeddah, and it showed in the first half of the bout as he attempted to go toe-to-toe against Usyk. However, the pace of the title fight gradually declined from round six, but the Brit was still competitive.

After he unarguably had his best round in the contest in the ninth round, many game watchers expected Joshua to maintain the tempo in round 10. Instead, the world saw a challenger who began to wobble and totter rather than climb on the ascendancy. He was weak and moved unsteadily at times. On the other hand, Usyk became stronger and never looked like the person who received ample body shots earlier in the fight.

ALSO READ: 5 Nigerian fighters dominating the UFC

The Ukrainian ‘never die’ spirit

With Ukraine, his country, fighting a war against its will, Usyk was one of the thousands of people who heeded the call of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to join the Territorial Defence Forces in defence of their country against Russia. The Ukrainian pugilist was active on the battlefield for a while before he was granted a special dispensation to travel out and prepare for his rematch against Joshua.

Knowing that he carried the hopes of an estimated 42 million fellow citizens, Usyk was, therefore, inspired by happenings back home to ensure he inked his name in the sporting record books on behalf of his country. He certainly did that by showing the steel that he and, by extension, all Ukrainians are displaying at this difficult moment.

So, even though Joshua was up for the rematch mentally and was disciplined for large periods of the bout, he could not outwit Usyk, who was fighting for and backed by an entire nation, coupled with the mentality monster mindset that he has exhibited throughout his days in the cruiserweight division. The champion had the testicular fortitude to handle the pressure that he faced before the fight, as well as drown out the boos of the spectators at the King Abdullah Sports City Arena, who noticeably rooted for Joshua to reclaim the belts, to do the business of the day in Jeddah: retain his unified world heavyweight titles.

ALSO READ: Tyson Fury turned boxing to wrestling – Dillian Whyte