Oleksandr Usyk has retained his IBF, WBA & WBO world heavyweight titles with another boxing masterclass – but Anthony Joshua has been praised for his gutsy role in a great fight.
It was a split decision, with the scorecards reading: 113-115 115-113 116-112.
Usyk vs. Joshua 2 took place Aug. 20 at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Oleksadr Usyk (20-0) and Anthony Joshua (24-3) collided in the main event. The WBA, IBF, IBO, and WBO heavyweight titles were on the line. The fight aired live on DAZN pay-per-view.
Now the Ukrainian is one title away from becoming the Undisputed World Heavyweight Champion, as he now pursues the WBC title held by Tyson Fury.
But Nigerian have reacted with a slang, ‘Olule’ invented by popular politician and All Progressive Congress (APC) presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to described Anthony Joshua’s loss to Usyk.
See some of the reactions below;
Joshua, who appeared rattled by the loss, hijacked the post-fight interview. At first, he held the Ukraine flag around him. The former champion then talked about his journey in boxing.
“I’m stealing this, Usyk. I’m sorry, but it’s because of the passion we put into this,” Joshua began. “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.”
Watch full statement by Anthony Joshua in video below;
Anthony Joshua's speech about Oleksandr Usyk is quite something #UsykJoshua2 pic.twitter.com/Rh01hdGSjN
— Chris Hammer (@ChrisHammer180) August 20, 2022
