Ukrainian WBA / WBO / IBF heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk (20-0, 13 KOs)
toldhow he managed to withstand the furious pressure of Briton Anthony Joshua (24-3, 22 KOs) in their rematch, held on August 20 in Saudi Arabia.
Recall that the 9th round, by all accounts, was the best for Joshua. However, already in the 10th, Usyk soloed with renewed vigor and did not slow down until the final gong of the victorious battle.
“Round 8-9… I don’t think that any boxer will miss punches in order to let (the opponent) get out. It’s just boxing, and sometimes you get hit, and somewhere you start to “swim,” Alexander emphasized. – But specifically in the 9th round, I really, really felt Anthony’s pressure, I saw in his eyes how he thinks: “Well, that’s it, now I’ll eat this snowball.” But in my head, somewhere in the middle, in my heart, in my legs – all over my body it was such that you can’t give up, you can’t stop, because it’s not as hard for me as it is for the guys on the front line. It somehow internally very wound up. And when the ninth round was over, I sat down (in the corner), read a prayer. I also asked Yuri Ivanovich (Tkachenko) what round. He says ten. I say, shall we begin? He: start.
“Anthony pulled out very badly,” the Ukrainian agrees. “I think he just saw that…” “Damn, how else to kick him? Doesn’t break!” Thank God it all happened.”
Here’s what Usyk has to say about the WBC title fight.
