—Former cruiserweight champion and current expert channel Sky Sports Johnny Nelson loves to draw attention to himself with controversial and outrageous statements. He is still reminded of last year’s comment about reigning unified heavyweight champion Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk (20-0, 13 KOs), whom Nelson called “an average left-hander.”
Over the weekend, Usyk defeated ex-two-time unified British division champion Anthony Joshua (24-3, 22 KOs) in a rematch, after which Nelson suddenly spoke differently.
Fight Usyk – Joshua. ZSU – a report about this event
“In the rematch, Joshua fought much better than I could have imagined in my most optimistic dreams, but still lost. Usyk is just too good, –
writes Nelson in his opinion column. Joshua is used to being a champion, which is why he took this defeat so hard. Yes, he acted like a kid who got beaten at monopoly I grabbed the board and threw it in the trash can. But I have another question. Are we really supposed to be surprised by his reaction? Is our shock really justified?”
“Usyk is still a warrior,” the expert continues. He fought on the front lines for his country. So when the fight got to 9-10 rounds, he knew how to pull himself together, restart and snatch victory. He has a lot of experience in gathering all his will into a fist and emerging victorious from the most difficult situations. Yeah, he’s just too good for Joshua. Anthony still has a lot of great heavyweight options, but I’m not sure if that will satisfy him. And the fights against the elite… Well, I don’t see how he could beat Usyk and (WBC champion) Tyson Fury. I think Fury is stronger than both Joshua and Usyk.”
In July, Nelson said that he would beat Usyk playfully, after which he confirmed what was said: “Holyfield – no, but Usyk – yes!” Even in Britain, his remarks were considered too wild. The local expert was categorical: would Nelson have beaten Usyk? He’s an idiot? And the ex-coach of the Ukrainian ridiculed this statement: “Johnny, stop smoking marijuana!” Even Usyk himself reacted: “Why say such a thing? Does he want to fight me?”
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