"This is a victory of the entire Slavic people": how the world of boxing reacted to the success of Usyk in a fight with Joshua

"It was a good chess fight"

Before the start of the fight between Anthony Joshua and Alexander Usyk, the Briton was considered the clear favorite.

Firstly, he had an advantage in anthropometry and fought in his weight, while the opponent rose from the first heavyweight.

Second, the WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO World Champion performed at home with the support of the packed Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.

However, from the first minutes, the fight did not go according to the owner's plan.

The challenger quickly moved around the ring, avoiding the opponent's attacks, and inflicted more punches.

The Briton, one got the impression, simply did not know what to do.

Towards the end of the fight, Joshua's right eye swam badly, and in the final rounds he was clearly losing on points, and the British public could only hope for a knockout.

But in the end, Anthony himself almost conceded ahead of schedule.

Only the bell at the end of the 12th round, which clearly sounded prematurely, saved him from an unconditional defeat.

Some had fears that the judges might not assess the fight quite objectively, but they unanimously gave the victory to the challenger - 116: 112, 117: 112, 115: 113.

The new super champion in the heavy weight category himself did not hold back his emotions after the fight.

He knelt in the center of the ring and crossed himself several times, and then burst into tears.

Later, his wife ran out to him, not without a branded hopak.

At the press conference, Alexander was already calm.

According to him, the battle went exactly as he expected.

“This victory means a lot to me.

In a couple of moments Anthony pinched the ropes, but these are insignificant things ... In the beginning I wanted to finish him, hit, rushed, but the coaches brought me to my senses.

The only thing I wanted to do was to glorify my Lord Jesus Christ and show that all this is from him, ”Usyk said.

Also, the Ukrainian answered the question about a possible revenge, noting that he would like to hold it at the Olympic Stadium in Kiev.

“I just want to go home.

Since January, I have been preparing very hard for the fight and have been little with my family.

I missed children very much.

I want to see them, watch them indulge in, shout, ”added Usik.

In turn, Joshua, who at the end of the fight could hardly stay on his feet and could not leave his corner of the ring for a long time, hardly survived the defeat.

However, the Briton stressed that the revenge will definitely take place.

“Usyk kept a good pace, but he still missed a lot.

In revenge, I will intensify my punches.

I think it's not about him, but about me.

I gave him too many options.

I need to work on bugs.

It was a good chess fight, I wanted to outbox it.

I know for sure that I will come back stronger, ”said Anthony at a press conference.

The Briton also lamented that from the ninth round he practically did not see anything with his right eye, which seriously swam after a series of hits from the Ukrainian.

“I thought:“ Wow, this is the first time I've happened.

Cool".

I breathed well, my lungs were fine, I was enough for all 12 rounds ... I am sure that in the next fight I will get a good victory, ”added Joshua.

The promoter of the now ex-champion of the planet Eddie Hearn assured the journalists of the rematch.

According to the functionary, his ward intends to return his belts in the near future.

“Joshua is totally dedicated to boxing, he's already talking about training again.

He will go to the gym and be ready to return to the ring.

He can be criticized, but he was now fighting with a great boxer.

He competes with the very best and is in second place today.

We will have enough time, the fighting spirit in AJ says that he will win the rematch ... But he needs to make changes and impose his style in order to win, otherwise he will lose again, "- quotes the words of Hearn Daily Mail.

"In the end, Sanya would just finish him off"

Usik's victory was greeted with delight in the world boxing community.

One of the first to congratulate Alexander was his compatriot and close friend, former world champion in three weight categories Vasily Lomachenko.

"Thank God," the athlete wrote on Instagram, posting a photo of Usik with champion belts.

Former heavyweight champion of the planet Vitali Klitschko, who was present in the corner of the victor and was one of the first to greet him, said: “A very smart fight.

I am very happy!

Alexander did a great job.

In Ukraine, everyone is happy and excited. "

In turn, the former rival of Klitschko Sr. Briton Lennox Lewis was also delighted with Alexander's performance and noted his excellent work on tactics.

“Applause to Usyk for the excellent tactics shown this evening.

For Joshua, this is not the end, but you can't hesitate or wait until the eighth round to finally turn on.

We need to learn a lesson from this and become better, "- wrote Lewis on Twitter.

The Briton also stressed that the hard work of the Ukrainian on the goals set helped him to defeat the clear favorite.

“This evening in the ring Usyk showed what kind of dough he was.

Amateur champion.

Olympic champion.

The undisputed champion in the first heavyweight, and now the world heavyweight champion.

Choosing a long way, working hard and striving for the set goals all pay off in the end, ”he wrote.

According to another ex-world heavyweight champion Nikolai Valuev, the winner psychologically suppressed a formidable competitor.

The expert who commented on the fight live, stressed that it was not the Briton who was weak, but the Ukrainian who showed his strength.

“He made Joshua feel insecure.

Largely due to his movements ... Joshua did not expect to receive blows from the same angle from which Usyk attacked.

They were applied repeatedly, and most importantly - quickly.

The Briton did not "shoot" - hence the uncertainty, which was read even in the eyes.

Sasha is great! "

- quotes the words of Valuev "Championship".

The Russian Boxing Federation also congratulated the new holder of several championship belts on his victory.

According to the general secretary of the organization, Kirill Shchekutyev, Usyk showed all the beauty of this sport and the power of the Soviet boxing school.

“I confess that this victory is more surprising for me than predictable.

Honestly, I thought that Joshua would be the winner, but the result is by no means the upset of the year, as many can present it ... Now they will have a rematch, and in the second fight, in my opinion, Anthony will look different ", - quotes the words of the functionary on the official website of the federation.

Russian boxer and former world champion Denis Lebedev called the Ukrainian triumph "the victory of the entire Slavic people."

“Alexander was just declassing Joshua.

I've never seen Anthony stand this foot wide.

I don’t know what it’s connected with ... It shouldn’t be that way.

In the end, Sanya would have just finished him off.

You noticed that the gong sounded eight seconds earlier.

This is a victory for the entire Slavic people and all fans of Usik.

We were all rooting for him! "

- Lebedev is quoted by Sport-Express.

The success of the Ukrainian boxer was highly appreciated by representatives of other sports.

So, ex-UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov called Usik's performance "impressive", and the forward of St. Petersburg Zenit Artyom Dzyuba posted a story on Instagram, where he watches the fight with his friends.

The footballer was also impressed by the dominance of the Ukrainian.

“Yes, he is a real genius!

One wicket right ... I think the next fight will be Usyk - Fury.

I think Fury will unwind Wilder, ”suggested the forward.