10 days before the heavyweight rematch of Ukrainian Alexander Usik (20-0, 13 KOs) and Briton Anthony Joshua (24-3, 22 KOs), information appeared that Usyk would enter the ring with significantly more weight than in the first fight.
The source, moreover, straight from the training camp of the Ukrainian, was the British ex-world champion Amir Khan, who said that “Usyk gained 15 kg.”
As a result, however, at the official weigh-in the day before the fight on August 20, Alexander showed an identical weight as in September last year – a little over 100 kg.
Usyk spoke about the reasons for the “disinformation” at a meeting held yesterday in Kyiv
press conferences.
“I trained in Dubai and I think that from the fact that it is very hot there – it was 50, 51, 54 degrees (heat in Celsius) even showed in our car – he (Khan) from the heat could twist a little.”
“No, it wasn’t like that. When he came to the gym, it was afternoon practice, and I had to do coordination work. There was another guy there, the son of the co-owner of this hall. And he (the guy) says that I came (to the camp) very thin – my weight was 92 or 91 kg. Even when I boxed in cruiserweight, I didn’t have such a weight. I lost a lot of weight during the month that I was in Ukraine.”
“And he (Khan) asks: “How much did you score?” And at that time I already had 102 kg somewhere. I say that I have already recovered, I gained 10 kg in four months. There was a very good dynamics, because they did a very good job.”
“And I think maybe because of my English, he didn’t understand a little. And this is good! And what is not? There was no misinformation, I just said this, and he understood me this way. I think if I had gained 15 kg before the fight, I would have been riding around the ring.”
- Fury is the king of kings? The local gypsies are for me.” Press conference of Oleksandr Usyk
