Famous boxing truth teller, martial arts columnist from the United States, former ESPN commentator and boxing coach Teddy Atlas aired last episode of the podcast
The Fight with Teddy Atlas commented on the heavyweight rematch (over 90.7 kg) between the unified champion from Ukraine Oleksandr Usyk (20-0, 13 KOs) and the former British champion Anthony Joshua (24-3, 22 KOs), which took place on the night of August 20-21, which ended with the victory of the Ukrainian on points by a separate decision of the judges.
Atlas was very indignant at the final score of the revenge of the judge from the United States. Recall that according to the notes of the American referee Glen Feldman, Usyk lost 113-115.
Report from vRINGe: Fight Usyk – Joshua. ZSU
– I think Joshua, having this big ninth round, which everyone expected from him in this fight, showed what he had to show. He tried to draw the fight out because he was behind on the papers, short of the corrupt referee card. Joshua was far behind on my notes. My final score was 9-3. I can agree with some who have an 8-4 score, but I have a 9-3, and by no means an 8-4.
To be precise, according to Feldman’s notes, Joshua was ahead 5-1 after the Equator.
— I think he (the judge) did his job. This is not the job people wanted from him. This is the job someone else wanted from him. This is not the kind of work that the law requires him to do, his profession, boxing. This is not the kind of work he is paid for. Maybe he gets paid for this job, but it’s not a job boxing pays for. He gets paid, maybe someone else outside or inside the sport, maybe there is some side thing or someone cares about him to some extent. Something affected him, something happened. Cus D’Amato would say, “It’s either incompetence or corruption.”
I don’t think anyone can be that incompetent. I really think so. Cas also said that. Then we come to corruption. And it happens all too often. It’s like going to your butcher, and he constantly weighs you down. You pay and you get less. And after a while you say: “Wait a minute, this butcher is not honest. If he weighed me more even once, I would say – well, this is an honest mistake. But if he consistently underweights, and I get half a pound instead of a pound of meat – I’m starting to think.”
- How much did Usyk and Joshua earn for the rematch? Krasyuk on the financial results of the fight
And I’m thinking about the judges when they do this garbage. I think in the end you should be responsible. I give credit to the great fans who are outraged by this. You need to be outraged! Really. If the fans don’t say anything, they become part of the problem. Something needs to be said. How can you. Because otherwise it will happen to one of your fighters. Happens to a fighter you love, support. We can’t just say it’s boxing and shrug our shoulders. We must try to do something. My talk about corruption in sports cost me my job at ESPN. I don’t want people to lose their jobs and do what I do, but something needs to be done if you care about these things. Otherwise, don’t complain when it happens to your fighter.
- Joshua called the reason for Usyk’s defeat in rematch
Returning to the fight. Yes, Joshua ended up doing what was expected of him with the smaller fighter – he worked on the body, which he had to do, which I talked about at the preliminary analysis. But Usyk did what champions do. He returned in the next round. He behaved like champions – immediately returned. Look, I give Joshua credit for this round, but I also look at these things in a more direct way than some fans. You fell for what everyone is saying, and the editors too: “Oh, how much better Joshua looked!” I don’t think he looked any better. He did a body job in the ninth round – good, but there was one fighter in the other rounds. Joshua pursued and imposed himself, searched, searched, searched. And there was another fighter who boxed, bowled, counterattacked, won, won the rounds. It was Usyk. I was 6-1 after seven rounds and finally Joshua broke in the 8th round. He began to work on the body. And then he had a big 9th round where he shook Usyk and really gave him problems. And then Usyk answered like a champion in the 10th round. Then there was the 11th round – again the same. And then 12 – he ended the fight.
- Usyk took Joshua to school again – British expert
Why did you decide that he became much better than in the first fight? I thought that he lost even more confidently on the notes than in the first fight. Yes, for you haters, I give him credit for finally getting the bodywork, finally being aggressive, finally being the boss, finally fighting like a bigger fighter in round 10, but the rest of the fight he was behind, if not read the corrupt referee’s card. Once again, he pursued, he imposed his boxing, but the fighter who boxed, who scored points – it was one guy. It was a fighter from Ukraine. This guy made his country proud. This was a guy who gave his country hope. Said, “Yes, we’re fighters. Yes, we’re champions. Yes, we’re not giving up. Yes, we’re still here. Yes, I represent you.” I think it was a one-sided boxing match until the 9th round. Well, there were 8, 9 rounds, but again, in the 10th round, what did Usyk do? He won the fight. Joshua had a chance to end the night, but he didn’t. Usyk immediately returned. He confirmed his victory right there. Did what he had to.
- “We do not give up”: video of Usyk’s appeal to the soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine after the victory over Joshua