Heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk found himself caught up in the excitement surrounding Daniel Dubois fifthround knockout victory over Anthony Joshua Initially Usyk shared that he wasnt surprised by the result but later completely contradicted himself by admitting that he had expected Joshua to come out on top in the bout
The reigning heavyweight boxing champion attended the colossal fight between Dubois and Joshua at Wembley Stadium Despite holding the IBF heavyweight championship Dubois was an underdog in the fight
As Usyk made his way out of the arena media members were asked to keep up with the Ukrainian fighter to get his reaction to the fifthround finish While posing for photos with fans Usyk was asked if he was surprised by the result to which he candidly responded No no no adding Its boxing I dont know as he rushed through the Wembley corridors
After collecting his thoughts Usyk provided a more reflective yet contradictory take on the fight in an interview with SkySports Through a translator Usyk shared his initial belief that Joshua should have come out victorious I thought Joshua should have won but who knows Its boxing Usyk saidAfter collecting his thoughts Usyk provided a more reflective yet contradictory take on the fight in an interview with SkySports Through a translator Usyk shared his initial belief that Joshua should have come out victorious I thought Joshua should have won but who knows Its boxing Usyk said
When asked further about his reaction to the fights power and peace the Ukrainian fighter admitted For me it was a surprise I was expecting that Anthony was going to win the fight
Speaking to Boxing King Media Usyk said
You know Anthony Joshua stepped like this his footwork was off
He added
His footwork was the issue The mentality of Joshua was the issue Everything was the issue I thought I saw the face of AJs man but he was completely different on the inside He didnt look the way we expected him to look Did you see his right hand it was all the way on his chest You know his chin AJs chin was up it was like a gift a fairytale for any boxer
Many indeed pointed to the poor defense from Joshua tonight
The two fighters really went toe to toe at times and through caution to the wind
What an amazing fight all round
Dubois shocked the boxing world on Saturday night delivering a dominant performance to upset the former heavyweight champion at Wembley Stadium The champion scored knockouts in four rounds and 46 percent of his punches including 27 highimpact shots
Joshuas record fell to 284 while Dubois improved his professional record to 222 with the win Joshuas manager Eddie Hearnsuggested that his fighter would activate his rematch clause after taking time off to recover from the lossafter taking time off to recover from the loss
Three days before the fight Usyk was at the center of controversy after videos surfaced online of the boxer appearing to be detained by Polish authorities at Krakow Airport He was said to be en route to the JoshuaDubois fight and released a statement after the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also expressed no wrongdoing by the boxer onlineBefore the fight Usyk was at the center of controversy after videos surfaced online of the boxer appearing to be detained by Polish authorities at Krakow Airport He was said to be en route to the JoshuaDubois fight and released a statement after the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also expressed no wrongdoing by the boxer online
Dear friends A misunderstanding took place It was quickly resolved Thanks to everyone who got concerned Usyk said on Instagram Live
Thanks to Ukrainian diplomats for the efficient support And respect to the Polish Police for conducting their obligations with no regard to height weight reach and regalia
Usyk said he would return to training camp on Monday as he gears up for his rematch and title defense against Tyson Fury on Dec 21 The heavyweights originally fought at a soldout Kingdom Arena in Saudi Arabia Usyk edged out a split decision victory to become the first unanimous heavyweight boxing champion since 1999
