Oleksandr Usyk’s reaction to Anthony Joshua’s loss to Daniel Dubois says a lot about how he feels about his former rival.
Having fought both Joshua and Dubois on his road to becoming the first undisputed heavyweight champion in 24 years, Usyk was perhaps the best man to speak to on Saturday night as the two Brits fought at Wembley stadium.
After all was said and done, it was the younger man that had his hand raised as Dubois knocked Joshua out in the fifth round having dominated him for the entirety of the fight.
And after the fight was over, Usyk’s immediate reaction to the shock result reveals a lot about how he feels about former opponent Joshua.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the fight, the unified heavyweight champion said: “I think Anthony should have won, but it’s boxing I don’t know. It was a surprise, I thought Anthony was going to win the fight.”
The Ukrainian boxer also offered an explanation for what Joshua did wrong in the fight and what he needs to improve on ahead of a potential rematch.
“I’m not shocked because this is boxing. Daniel Dubois today was better,” Usyk told Boxing King Media.
“Anthony had one problem. Because this position [leans back with feet planted], it’s dangerous. If you want to, you step back like this [takes one foot back], not like this [repeats lean] because this is dangerous. We saw.”
Uysk has fought Joshua twice during his career, taking the WBA, IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight titles from the Brit in the first and defending them in the second.
Oleksandr Usyk defeated Anthony Joshua for the second time in August 2022. (Image: Getty)
Although many would argue that he dominated both fights, Usyk could not seal either victory with a knockout and instead relied on the judges scorecards to secure a decision in both fights.
Meanwhile when Usyk fought Dubois, he was able to get a finish over the challenger, knocking him out in the ninth round after taking a knee himself in the fifth round due to a controversial low blow from Dubois.
In his next fight, Usyk will rematch Tyson Fury 17 months after beating him in Riyadh to win the WBC heavyweight title and become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.
