On the night of August 20-21 in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), the unified world heavyweight champion (over 90.7 kg) Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk (20-0, 13 KOs) defended his titles in a rematch against their former owner Briton Anthony Joshua (24 -3, 22 KOs), winning on points by a split decision.
Shared their reaction to the rematch: former heavyweight title contender Michael Hunter, former heavyweight champion Tony Bellew, undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney, martial arts columnist Teddy Atlas, welterweight champion Terence Crawford, former welterweight champion Shawn Porter, ex -Super Welterweight Champion Sergio Mora, Former Heavyweight Title Challenger Eddie Chambers, Coach Shane McGuigan, Mentor Peter Fury, Unified Super Lightweight Champion Josh Taylor, Undisputed Two Division Champion Clarissa Shields, Former Undisputed Champion Lennox Lewis, US Promoter Lou Dibella , former heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder and former UFC two-division champion Conor McGregor.
Report from vRINGe: Fight Usyk – Joshua. ZSU
Michael Hunter: “Usyk. Copy and paste.”
Tony Bellew: “Usyk works really hard to win rounds. Good pressing from Joshua is good! Body attacks are the key 100%.”
“Round for Joshua! Usyk 100% felt the blows to the body and reacted in every case! So far 5-3 Usyk.”
“Never judge a boxer by a post-match interview! I can’t explain to you how much emotion and fatigue work against you! I’ve known Joshua for a long time and he has nothing but respect, modesty and decorum for everyone! He will be back.”
“Joshua should be proud of his performance! He was the toughest fighter and shook Usyk more than anyone in his career! He will be back and I believe he will be in huge amazing fights in the near future. His raw emotions showed that he is human And I haven’t forgotten my roots!
Devin Haney: “Joshua is having a good fight… I think he should pick up the pace a bit.”
“Respect for Usyk… He returned from the war, defended his belts and the country.”
- “Fury will beat his ass, not me and Joshua.” Press conference of Oleksandr Usyk
Teddy Atlas: “The commentators see everything Joshua does, but nothing Usyk does.”
“I know my English fans won’t like it or agree, but 5-1 Usyk. Boxer vs. stalker. Boxer ahead.”
“Split decision? Please take away that judge’s license and never let him get close to the judge’s papers again!”
“You could have done without the mat, but in the end Joshua didn’t mean anything bad. But no matter what he awakened the old fighters in his speech, he still lost.”
Terence Crawford: “If Joshua doesn’t get tired, it will be a long night for Usyk.”
“Usyk is in good rhythm. Joshua is in trouble.”
“Yes, Joshua knows he lost.”
“Wow, split decision. This is crazy.”
Sean Porter: “Joshua is focused. Active. Comfortable. Confident. I think Usyk needs to get to the body and be more active from a distance. Usyk needs to work on phantom punches.”
“We need more from Joshua. Usyk is catching up. More combinations. Joshua, put this fighter near the ropes and get to work! 4-2 Usyk.”
“For Joshua to win, this has to be the most physical fight of his life! These bursts of activity are not enough. This fighter has to start diving headfirst or there will be no victory in the end.”
Sergio Mora: “There’s nothing simple about Usyk’s actions! He’s great at boxing a bigger fighter.”
“Joshua may be behind on the notes, but I see an effective change in his style. Impressed by the big fighter, but Usyk always adjusts and adapts so well!”
“Bravo!!! The judges are right!”.
- Usyk – Joshua 2. Rematch punch statistics
Eddie Chambers: “There’s always an idiot judge who doesn’t see what the majority sees! This needs to change!”
“Anyway, congratulations to Usyk and salute to Joshua for showing character.”
Shane McGuigan: “The notes are too close for me. Usyk beat me 8-4. He boxed a great fight tactically and fought for his nation. Respect.”
Peter Fury: “What were these trainers working on?”
“The hands are wrong, everything is wrong. Same as before, but I give Joshua credit for trying and taking these blows. Usyk is better today.”
“Hands wrong, fight plan wrong. Lost in a tough fight but got outboxed. People should tell this buddy the truth instead of wanting royalties. He can and will improve and come back again. Just my opinion as always.”
Josh Taylor: “Oh my goodness!”
Clarissa Shields: “Wow, we see something new every day in boxing.”
Lennox Lewis: “Great fight Usyk. Congrats on the win. He definitely deserved it. Good performance from Joshua too. Don’t worry, there are still big fights we want to see.”
Lou Dibella: Usyk is the best of all time. Joshua is still one of the top 4 heavyweights in the world. Boxing needs to change its course. Wilder has to beat Helenius and there is nothing that will make more dollars and make more sense than Wilder vs. Joshua.” .
Deontay Wilder: “They tried to screw me up because they knew he was going to win. It’s strictly a business, not a sport. That’s the difference.”
Conor McGregor: “Usyk is an incredible boxer. And Froch is an incredible asshole. Ha ha ha.”
- Tyson Fury reacts to Usyk-Joshua 2 fight