‘A full on Kanye West moment!’: Anthony Joshua’s bizarre microphone hijacking in the ring is mocked by boxing fans after he was punched by Oleksandr Usyk… before talking about ‘not nice things’ in Ukraine
Anthony Joshua was defeated for the second time by Oleksandr Usyk
Two judges scored the fight for Usyk and one scored it for Joshua
Usyk deserved to win the fight and Joshua was overcome with emotion afterwards
He picked up the microphone and gave a somewhat bizarre speech
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Anthony Joshua showed himself well in the ring against Oleksandr Usyk, but many feel he disappointed himself following the announcement of the decision.
Joshua fell after a painful split decision defeat to Oleksandr Usyk, leaving him facing an uncertain future in the heavyweight division he previously ruled.
Usyk won a thrilling match 113-115, 115-113, 116-112 at the King Abdullah Sports Center Arena in Jeddah to take a second straight win over Joshua and retain the WBA, IBF and WBO titles.
Anthony Joshua delivered a bizarre speech after defeat to Oleksandr Usyk
After the fight, AJ grabbed the microphone and gave a strange monologue.
He didn’t say anything too offensive, but he has been accused of stealing Usyk’s moment and mocked on social media.
“Most embarrassing speech I’ve seen in years,” one wrote while another compared him to Kanye West.
The all-out attack many in the fight asked for never materialized, but Joshua’s performance was much better than that passive night at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium nearly a year ago when he handed in the titles in such a disappointing fashion.
Even as the British national anthem played, Joshua sneaked through the ring with a look of iron determination on his face, but the build-up gave way to a reluctant opening in which Usyk landed a stiff jab.
It was the highlight of the first round, but for the second, Joshua stepped it up by releasing his powerful right hand and launching a left hook, though he was still vulnerable to the jab.
By the end of the third match, it was already a more competitive battle than their first encounter with Usyk being caught, albeit not cleanly, struggling to fire his own shots in the manner so damaging in North America. London.
Predictions that Joshua would come out with all the guns at the ready didn’t materialize as he kept things tidy and worked behind a tight guard as he took charge of the ring.
At the end of the fourth, he discharged in the first moment of raucous aggression that drew a cheer from the crowd.
The dominance Usyk had enjoyed in the first fight was a distant memory as he slipped in and out of reach, unable to take any meaningful blows outside of his leading right hand.
Joshua always stood in front of him, kept calm and held his hands up until the chess game that had developed was interrupted by a series of quick exchanges.
But he was already slowing down and a jagged edge had distorted his form as Usyk continued to pierce his face with pricks that now found their target more easily.
After landing a painful left on the body, Joshua hesitated with his follow-up and the chance to step up his attack was lost, but the body had been a valuable target.
At the end of the ninth, he returned to his corner with a smile on his face, after putting constant pressure on Usyk and firing a barrage of shots that sent the Ukrainian backwards.
It was a dominant round and just as Usyk landed free in the 10th, he was stopped by a painful straight to the right in a blast of action.
Usyk deserved to win the fight, but Joshua showed himself much better
There was nothing in it that made it into the penultimate round as the fight waned and flowed, Usyk landed more often, but Joshua’s work showed more strength.
Usyk’s punch count was noticeably greater, a byproduct of his excellent fitness, but both fighters needed a big final round.
It was the messiest round of the night, more like a wrestling match than a boxing match, but Usyk’s work rate was still much faster as the decision went to the scorecards where Joshua got his final blow of the night.