Tag: Anthony Joshua

Conor McGregor credits Anthony Joshua following AJ’s ‘great speech’ after Oleksandr Usyk battle

Anthony JoshuaConor McGregor has come to the defence of Anthony Joshua after the Brit bizarrely took to the microphone following his disappointing split decision loss to Oleksandr Usyk. A disappointing night turned worse for Joshua after he fell short in his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk. The 32-year-old took to the opportunity to share his thoughts with […]

Anthony Joshua

Conor McGregor has come to the defence of Anthony Joshua after the Brit bizarrely took to the microphone following his disappointing split decision loss to Oleksandr Usyk.

A disappointing night turned worse for Joshua after he fell short in his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk. The 32-year-old took to the opportunity to share his thoughts with those in attendance and the mass watching online after his match-up. Joshua referenced the ongoing conflict in Ukraine amongst other issues relating to his fight after originally throwing two belts to the ground and leaving the ring.

Spectators were left with a sour taste in their mouths following Joshua’s actions however former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor has defended his actions following his disappointing outing. McGregor even went on to credit Joshua for the ‘great speech’ he delivered post-fight.

“You are all going on ridiculous over this. That is a great speech right there. Fair play to him he made it yet he is still in there keeping that cog going. If they wanted the mic they could’ve tried get it back. Then he gives me a shout out. Great fight, thank you! #champchamp”

Usyk along with those in attendance were caught off-guard by Joshua’s comments having initially embraced following the pair’s 12-round battle.

Anthony Joshua reflects on the disappointing defeat to Oleksandr Usyk

Following on from this having had time to collect his thoughts and process what would have been a difficult night for him Anthony Joshua took to his social media to update his following on his status.

“I wish @usykaa continued success in your quest for greatness. You are a class act champ.

Yesterday I had to mentally take myself into a dark place to compete for the championship belts! I had two fights, one with Usyk and one with my emotions and both got the better of me.”

In a follow-up post, Anthony Joshua would reflect upon his post-fight statements.

“I’ll be the first to admit, I let myself down. I acted out of pure passion and emotion and when not controlled it ain’t great.

I love this sport so so much and I’ll be better from this point on.

Respect”

Joshua is expected to take some time away from the sport to recover but is expected to return in the future after some speculated this may be time to call a curtain on the former champion’s career.

Similar to Joshua, McGregor is expected to make his return to the octagon next year having not stepped inside the cage since his loss to Dustin Poirier in their trilogy match at UFC 264.

What did you make of Anthony Joshua’s comments? Do you agree with Conor McGregor?

Anthony Joshua Throws a Temper Tantrum Following Split Decision Loss to Oleksandr Usyk

Anthony JoshuaFormer boxing world champion Anthony Joshua had a full-on temper tantrum following his split decision loss to Oleksandr Usyk in their rematch on Saturday. Usyk successfully defended his WBA, WBO, and IBF titles earning two of the three judges’ scorecards. One judge saw it in favor of Joshua 115-113, but was overruled by the tallies […]

Anthony Joshua

Former boxing world champion Anthony Joshua had a full-on temper tantrum following his split decision loss to Oleksandr Usyk in their rematch on Saturday.

Usyk successfully defended his WBA, WBO, and IBF titles earning two of the three judges’ scorecards. One judge saw it in favor of Joshua 115-113, but was overruled by the tallies of 115-113 and 116-112 in favor of the defending champion. Fuming from the loss, Joshua grabbed two of Usyk’s titles while in the ring and threw them to the outside before exiting towards the backstage area.

Anthony Joshua then returned to the ring, grabbed a microphone, and proceeded to steal what was supposed to be a celebratory moment for the Ukrainian world champion.

“If you knew my story you would understand the passion,” Joshua said. I ain’t no amateur boxer from five years old that was an elite prospect from youth.

“I was going to jail, I got bail, and I started training my arse off, I wanted to be able to fight.”

After hijacking the microphone, Anthony Joshua gave Usyk a moment, recognizing him as the heavyweight champion of the world and leading the crowd in a cheer for the man that beat him not once, but twice.

“I’m stealing this Usyk I’m sorry, but it’s because of the passion we put into this. This guy to beat me tonight, maybe I could have done better, but it shows the level of hard work I put in so please give him a round of applause as our heavyweight champion of the world.

“And as I said, I was studying Ukraine and all the champions that come from your amazing country, but I have never been there. But at the same time, what’s happening there is, I don’t know what’s happening, but it’s not nice.”

Anthony Joshua’s Drama Continued Backstage

Finally making his way to the back of the arena, an unidentified individual told him to “keep it professional.” The former world champion aggressively responded saying, “What?! Who you talking to?! Who you talking to?!”

Anthony Joshua was then promptly escorted away from the situation before the UK native could further embarrass himself. Following his antics inside of the ring, fans took to Twitter and immediately started comparing the incident to the infamous Kanye West and Taylor Swift moment at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards.

Oleksandr Usyk outshines Anthony Joshua to retain titles in a competitive battle – Highlights

Anthony Joshua, Oleksandr UsykOleksandr Usyk retained his titles in the rematch with Anthony Joshua, billed the Rage on the Red Sea. Usyk had returned to his homeland of Ukraine after the Russian invasion in February. He made his way back into the boxing ring to take on Anthony Joshua in a rematch at King Abdullah Sports City in […]

Anthony Joshua, Oleksandr Usyk

Oleksandr Usyk retained his titles in the rematch with Anthony Joshua, billed the Rage on the Red Sea.

Usyk had returned to his homeland of Ukraine after the Russian invasion in February. He made his way back into the boxing ring to take on Anthony Joshua in a rematch at King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. His first win made him only the third boxer in history to win world titles both at cruiserweight and heavyweight.

Both men got to work in a competitive showing. Usyk started off strong edging out Joshua in the opening rounds. Joshua seemed to get better as the rounds went on. However, he was ultimately unable to do enough to get the nod in the rematch. It was a close yet definitive win for the Ukrainian who retained his titles and handed Joshua another loss.

Usyk defeated Joshua after going the distance by majority decision.

Below, catch the highlights from Oleksandr Usyk, Anthony Joshua 2

Oleksandr Usyk Reveals Why He’s Leaving Ukraine To Rematch Anthony Joshua: “They Were Asking Me To Fight For The Country”

Oleksandr Usyk, Anthony JoshuaOleksandr Usyk has revealed why he decided to return to the ring for a rematch against Anthony Joshua. Reigning WBA, IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk is set to take on the former title holder Anthony Joshua in a rematch almost a year on from their first encounter this August 20. Usyk was […]

Oleksandr Usyk, Anthony Joshua

Oleksandr Usyk has revealed why he decided to return to the ring for a rematch against Anthony Joshua.

Reigning WBA, IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk is set to take on the former title holder Anthony Joshua in a rematch almost a year on from their first encounter this August 20. Usyk was one of the athletes who returned to Ukraine to defend their homeland from the ongoing Russian invasion.

Oleksandr Usyk reveals why he’s leaving Ukraine to rematch Anthony Joshua

Ahead of his highly anticipated return to competition, Oleksandr Usyk spoke to a group of reporters detailing his reason to come back.

“I went to the hospital where soldiers were wounded and getting rehabilitation from the war,” Usyk told a group of reporters, according to Reuters. “They were asking me to go, to fight, to fight for the country, fight for your pride and if you’re going to go there, you’re even going to help more for our country.” (h/t Bloody Elbow)

Widely regarded as one of the best Ukrainian boxers ever, Usyk was the first cruiserweight champion to hold all four major world titles. He’s also one of only three boxers to have unified the cruiserweight world titles and become a world heavyweight champion, alongside Evander Holyfield and David Haye.

Usyk wanted to stay but understands he’s making the right choice

Two days after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine started, Usyk urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to cancel the operation and withdraw their troops from the foreign land. Usyk returned to Ukraine a few days later along with fellow boxer Vasiliy Lomachenko to defend the territory.

Usyk was allowed to leave in late March to prepare for his rematch with Joshua that’s expected to take place in Saudi Arabia. Although Usyk wanted to stay in the country, he realizes the opportunity could mean more for his people.

“I really didn’t want to leave our country, I didn’t want to leave our city,” Usyk said. “I know a lot of my close people, friends, close friends, are right now in the front line and fighting. What I’m doing right now, I’m just supporting them, and with this fight, I wanted to bring them some kind of joy in between what they do.”

Oleksandr Usyk Vs. Anthony Joshua Set For August 20th Rematch

A heavyweight boxing rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua is set for August 20th in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Matchroom Boxing was among the first to report the news of the Usyk vs. Joshua 2 booking. Usyk has been providing aid to his fellow Ukrainians amidst the ongoing invasion by Russia. It was unclear as…

Continue Reading Oleksandr Usyk Vs. Anthony Joshua Set For August 20th Rematch at MMA News.

A heavyweight boxing rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua is set for August 20th in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Matchroom Boxing was among the first to report the news of the Usyk vs. Joshua 2 booking.

Usyk has been providing aid to his fellow Ukrainians amidst the ongoing invasion by Russia. It was unclear as to when the rematch would take place after Joshua exercised his rematch clause following the loss to Usyk.

In their first matchup last September, Usyk earned a unanimous decision victory to gain the WBA, IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight titles. Before the loss to Usyk, Joshua had earned back-to-back wins over Andy Ruiz Jr. and Kubrat Pulev.

Now that Tyson Fury is retired from professional boxing, Joshua is arguably the best British boxer in the world at the moment. The 32-year-old has accumulated a 24-2 record during his career, with 22 wins coming by knockout.

Usyk is undefeated in his professional boxing career, earning wins over the likes of Derek Chisora and Krzysztof Glowacki in the ring. He first won the then-vacant WBO interim inter-continental cruiserweight title back in 2014.

If Joshua gets his revenge against Usyk, the two heavyweights could face off in yet another trilogy in boxing. Usyk has the chance to silence the naysayers and remain unbeaten in the ring.

What is your early prediction for Oleksandr Usyk vs. Anthony Joshua 2?

Continue Reading Oleksandr Usyk Vs. Anthony Joshua Set For August 20th Rematch at MMA News.

Tyson Fury “Hasn’t Determined What He Wants To Do”: Top Rank President Reveals 2 Opponents For Potential Comeback

Tyson FuryTyson Fury may get pulled back into action by two possible opponents. ‘The Gypsy King’ made his highly-anticipated return to the ring against WBC mandatory challenger Dillian Whyte two months ago at Wembley Stadium in London on April 23. The pair were familiar with each other having sparred together back in the day. Fury put […]

Tyson Fury

Tyson Fury may get pulled back into action by two possible opponents.

‘The Gypsy King’ made his highly-anticipated return to the ring against WBC mandatory challenger Dillian Whyte two months ago at Wembley Stadium in London on April 23. The pair were familiar with each other having sparred together back in the day.

Fury put on another dominant performance that saw him dispatch Whyte inside six rounds to retain his WBC heavyweight world title. The 33-year-old Englishman handed Whyte his third loss by KO with a brutal uppercut that sent him face first to the canvas.

Tyson Fury may be enticed to return

Following his sensational win, Tyson Fury was expected to take on the winner of Anthony Joshua’s rematch with Oleksandr Usyk. However, he announced his retirement from boxing in the post-fight celebrations and invited the UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou to the ring.

The two giants have plans to clash sometime next year in an exhibition bout which brings his retirement into question. US promoter and Top Rank president Todd DuBoef believes that a megafight with Ngannou could be on the horizons and revealed another opponent that might entice Fury to return.

“I think there is obviously a lot brewing about the rematch between AJ and Usyk,” DuBoef told SkySports. “Obviously that has always been on his and everybody’s target, but I think at this point there is nothing to be talked about because he hasn’t determined what he wants to do.

“Maybe the winner, when that fight happens, can pull him out, or maybe something else can be motivational like Ngannou.”

DuBoef shared his opinion and made it clear that he can only speculate as the final decision will lay with Tyson Fury.

“We saw Francis Ngannou get in the ring and it was kind of bizarre that the guy was retiring but the MMA heavyweight champion was getting in the ring to talk smack – which one are we doing here?

“But is it going to be he just sits in the South of France on the beach there and enjoys it? That again, I am speaking for him and that is a difficult position for me to be in to speak on what his feelings are.”

While Tyson Fury may appear to be happily retired, DuBoef believes that the competitor in him will bring him back into the ring again.

“I think he has climbed the mountain and he has done so much since his return to boxing, and I think that final piece of 94,000 at Wembley is almost like ‘I got to the top, this is Everest’ and he has accomplished a lot,” DuBoef added. “So, where he goes and who motivates him and what motivates him is again his own interest.

“He is a competitor and like most athletes in their prime they want to shine, and they want the attention and hopefully he will have that craving and desire that he wants to get back into the ring.

“And if not then he may just say ‘hey, I want to look at something else or do something different in my life.’ But I think those are his decisions.”

Would you like to see Tyson Fury return agianst Francis Ngannou or the winner of Joshua vs Usyk?