Anthony Joshua vs Oleksandr Usyk

Last updated

The Perfect Storm
Joshua Usyk Official Poster.jpeg
Date25 September 2021
Venue Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Tottenham, London, England
Title(s) on the line WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight titles
Tale of the tape
Boxer Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Anthony Joshua Flag of Ukraine.svg Oleksandr Usyk
Nickname "AJ" "The Cat"
Hometown Watford, Hertfordshire, England Simferopol, Crimea, Ukraine
Pre-fight record 24–1 (22 KOs) 18–0 (13 KOs)
Age 31 years, 11 months 34 years, 8 months
Height 6 ft 6 in (198 cm) 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight 240 lb (109 kg)221+1⁄4 lb (100 kg)
Style Orthodox Southpaw
Recognition WBA (Super), IBF, WBO and IBO
Heavyweight Champion		 WBO
No. 1 Ranked Heavyweight
IBF
No. 2 Ranked Heavyweight
WBA
No. 4 Ranked Heavyweight
Former undisputed cruiserweight champion
The Ring No. 4 ranked pound-for-pound fighter
Result
Usyk wins via 12–round unanimous decision (117–112, 116–112, 115–113)

Anthony Joshua vs Oleksandr Usyk, billed as The Perfect Storm, was a professional boxing match that was contested between WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshua, and former undisputed cruiserweight champion and the WBO's heavyweight mandatory challenger, Oleksandr Usyk. The bout took place on 25 September 2021 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with Usyk winning by unanimous decision.

Contents

Background

Anthony Joshua 2017.png
Oleksandr Usyk training - 20150409 - 24 (cut).jpg
Anthony Joshua (left) and Oleksandr Usyk (right).

Usyk became the first ever four-belt undisputed cruiserweight champion in 2018 after winning the World Boxing Super Series tournament. Following the decision to move up to the heavyweight division in 2019, and after Joshua lost his titles against Andy Ruiz Jr in June of that year, Usyk successfully petitioned the WBO to be installed as their mandatory challenger. Per the WBO's rules, a 'super champion' is entitled to the mandatory challenger status in the event they move to a different weight class. [1] Joshua regained his titles by defeating Ruiz in a rematch in December 2019, prompting the WBO to order a fight between Joshua and Usyk. The following day, the IBF also ordered Joshua to face their mandatory challenger, Kubrat Pulev. [2] After Joshua fulfilled his IBF mandatory with a victory over Pulev in December 2020, the WBO held off on ordering a fight between Joshua and Usyk while talks progressed between the former and Tyson Fury for an undisputed heavyweight title bout.

In the meantime, Usyk's team entered into negotiations with Joe Joyce, with the intention of fighting for the WBO interim title. [3] However, on 17 May, a day after Fury confirmed the date of a Joshua fight, the news broke that a judge had ordered Fury to fulfill a prior contractual obligation and face Deontay Wilder before September 2021. The following day the WBO issued Joshua's promoter, Eddie Hearn, with a "show cause" order, giving him 48 hours to provide proof of a contract between Joshua and Fury, and failure to do so would force Joshua to enter negotiations with Usyk. [4] Hearn requested an extension on the deadline, which was denied by the WBO, who then ordered Joshua to reach a deal with Usyk within 10 days before holding a purse bid for rights to the fight. [5]

On 25 June, Hearn announced that the bout would take place on 25 September, at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. [6] [7]

Fight results

Oleksandr Usyk became only the third boxer in history – after Evander Holyfield and David Haye – to win world titles both at cruiserweight and heavyweight. [8] At the same time, Anthony Joshua's defeat left the prospect of a highly anticipated undisputed unification bout with Tyson Fury in tatters. [8] [9]

According to CompuBox, Oleksandr Usyk connected more total punches than Anthony Joshua – 148 to 123. He was also more precise of the two opponents, landing 28% of punches thrown compared to Joshua's 19.2%. Usyk's landed punches were the most by a Joshua opponent. Usyk closed the show by landing 29 punches in round 12, the most by a Joshua opponent. [10]

After the fight, Usyk performed a Cossack dance in the ring to celebrate his victory. [11]

Scoring card by judges

1. Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Howard Foster (red): 113–115 for Usyk [12]
2. Flag of the United States.svg Steve Weisfield (white): 112–116 for Usyk [12]
3. Flag of Ukraine.svg Viktor Fesechko [13] [14] (blue): 112–117 for Usyk [12]

Reception

Critics universally praised Usyk's performance during the fight. Coral Barry of BBC Sport called it "exceptional", "incredible" and a "masterclass". [15] Chris Eubank Jr. called it "one of the biggest statements in boxing for a very long time". [11] Lennox Lewis called it "a great tactical performance". [16] Max Kellerman compared the match to Holmes vs. Spinks, in which a reign of a bigger boxer was likewise ended. [17] Roy Jones Jr. reacted: "Usyk didn't beat [Joshua]. He dominated him". [18]

Regarding the defender's performance, Coral Barry noted: "It was a strange, almost hapless display from Joshua which leaves his legacy as one of the heavyweight greats in ruins." [15]

Aftermath

Immediately after the fight, Anthony Joshua's team has "activated in principle" the rematch clause to face Oleksandr Usyk in early 2022. [19] [20] Eddie Hearn has warned that Joshua will be more aggressive in the rematch: "You'll see a different Anthony Joshua in this fight… This game plan is not box and move, this plan is to go in and hurt Usyk". [20] On 10 October, Joshua officially exercised his contractual right to an immediate rematch. [21] On 22 June, it was announced that a rematch was scheduled to take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on 20 August with Usyk defending the WBA, WBO and IBF championship belts, and Joshua, as the challenger. [22]

Fight card

Weight Classvs.MethodRoundTimeNotes
Heavyweight Oleksandr Usyk def. Anthony Joshua (c)UD12/12 Note 1
Cruiserweight Lawrence Okolie (c)def. Dilan Prašović KO3/121:57 Note 2
Lightweight Campbell Hatton def.Sonni MartinezPTS6/6
Light heavyweight Callum Smith def. Lenin Castillo KO2/100:55
Welterweight Florian Marku def. Maxim Prodan (c)SD10/10 Note 3
Middleweight Cristopher Ousleydef.Khasan BaysangurovMD10/10 Note 4
Light heavyweight Daniel Lapindef.Pawel MartyniukPTS6/6

^Note 1 For WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight titles
^Note 2 For WBO junior-heavyweight title
^Note 3 For IBF International welterweight title
^Note 4 For vacant WBA Inter-Continental middleweight title

    Broadcasting

    The undercard was televised for a 30 minute Freeview on Sky Sports Arena, Sky Sports Mix and Sky Sports Boxing YouTube. The main event was televised live on Sky Sports Box Office PPV in the United Kingdom and Ireland, as well as MEGOGO in Ukraine.

    CountryBroadcaster
    Free-to-airCable/Pay TVPPVStream
    Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom Sky Sports Boxing YouTube
    Sky Sports Mix (undercard)    		Sky Sports Arena
    Sky Sports Main Event
    Sky Showcase (undercard)    		 Sky Sports Box Office
    Flag of Ireland.svg  Ireland
    Flag of Ukraine.svg  Ukraine —MEGOGO [23]
    Flag of France.svg  France — Canal+ [24] —MyCanal
    Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands RTL 7 [25] RTL XL
    Flag of Russia.svg  Russia REN TV [26] —
    Worldwide— DAZN excl.

    ^excl. Live on DAZN in over 170 countries and territories, excluding the UK, Ireland, Ukraine, France, Netherlands, China, Israel and MENA [27]

    Related Research Articles

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Tyson Fury</span> British boxer (born 1988)

    Tyson Luke Fury is a British professional boxer. He has held multiple heavyweight world titles, including the unified titles from 2015 to 2016, the Ring magazine title twice between 2015 and 2022, and the World Boxing Council (WBC) title from 2020 to 2024. He also held the International Boxing Organization (IBO) title during his first reign as champion.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Oleksandr Usyk</span> Ukrainian boxer (born 1987)

    Oleksandr Oleksandrovych Usyk is a Ukrainian professional boxer. He is the undisputed heavyweight champion, holding the WBA (Super), IBF and WBO titles since 2021, the Ring magazine title since 2022, and the WBC title since 2024. Previously, he held the undisputed cruiserweight championship from 2018 to 2019. In both the heavyweight and cruiserweight divisions, he is the first boxer to hold all four major world titles. Usyk is only the third male boxer in history to become the undisputed champion in two weight classes in the four-belt era.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Bellew</span> English boxer (born 1982)

    Anthony Lewis Bellew is an English former professional boxer who competed from 2007 to 2018, and has since worked as a boxing analyst and commentator. He held the WBC cruiserweight title from 2016 to 2017. At regional level, he held the British and Commonwealth light-heavyweight titles between 2010 and 2014, the European cruiserweight title from 2015 to 2016. As an amateur, he is a three-time ABA heavyweight champion. He portrayed antagonist boxer Ricky Conlan in the films Creed and Creed III.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Derek Chisora</span> British boxer (born 1983)

    Derek Chisora is a Zimbabwean-British professional boxer. He has challenged twice for the WBC heavyweight title in 2012 and 2022. At regional level, he has held multiple heavyweight championships, including the British and Commonwealth titles from 2010 to 2011, and the European title from 2013 to 2014. As an amateur, he won the ABA super-heavyweight title in 2006.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony Joshua</span> British boxer (born 1989)

    Anthony Oluwafemi Olaseni Joshua is a British professional boxer. He is a two-time former unified world heavyweight champion, having held the World Boxing Association (WBA), International Boxing Federation (IBF), and World Boxing Organization (WBO) titles twice between 2016 and 2021. He also held the International Boxing Organization (IBO) title twice during that reign. At regional level, he held the British and Commonwealth heavyweight titles from 2015 to 2016.

    Jai Opetaia is an Australian professional boxer. He held the International Boxing Federation (IBF) from 2022 until 2023. He currently holds the Ring magazine and lineal cruiserweight titles. As an amateur, he won a bronze medal at the 2012 Youth World Championships and represented Australia at the 2012 Olympics and 2014 Commonwealth Games. As of February 2023, Opetaia is ranked the world's best active cruiserweight by The Ring magazine, and the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, second by BoxRec, and third best by ESPN.

    Lawrence Okolie is a British professional boxer who held the World Boxing Organization (WBO) cruiserweight title from 2021 to May 2023. At regional level, he held the Commonwealth title twice between 2018 and 2019; the British title from 2018 to 2019; and the European title in 2019.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Murat Gassiev</span> Russian boxer

    Murat Georgievich Gassiev is a Russian former unified cruiserweight world champion, having held the IBF title from 2016 to 2018, and the WBA (Unified) title in 2018. As of October 2021, he is ranked as the world's ninth-best active heavyweight by BoxRec.

    Daniel Dubois is a British professional boxer who held the World Boxing Association (WBA) heavyweight title from 2022 to 2023. At regional level, he has held multiple heavyweight championships, including the British and Commonwealth titles from 2019 to 2020. As an amateur, he was a five-time national junior titlist and British champion. He currently holds a 95% knockout-to-win percentage.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony Joshua vs. Andy Ruiz Jr.</span> Boxing competitions

    Anthony Joshua vs. Andy Ruiz Jr. was a heavyweight professional boxing match contested between undefeated and unified WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO champion Anthony Joshua, and former world title challenger Andy Ruiz Jr. The bout took place on June 1, 2019, at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. Joshua was originally scheduled to face undefeated WBA No. 2 and WBO No. 3 ranked heavyweight Jarrell Miller, who was replaced by Ruiz Jr. after Miller failed three drug tests.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony Joshua vs Kubrat Pulev</span> 2020 professional boxing match

    Anthony Joshua vs Kubrat Pulev, was a heavyweight professional boxing match contested between defending unified WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO world champion Anthony Joshua and IBF mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev. The event took place on 12 December 2020 at Wembley Arena in London. Joshua retained his titles via ninth-round knockout.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony Joshua vs Alexander Povetkin</span> Boxing competition

    Anthony Joshua vs Alexander Povetkin was a heavyweight professional boxing match contested between undefeated and unified WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO champion Anthony Joshua, and former WBA (Regular) champion Alexander Povetkin. The bout took place on 22 September 2018 at the Wembley Stadium in London, England. Joshua defeated Povetkin, retaining his heavyweight titles via seventh-round technical knockout (TKO).

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony Joshua vs Éric Molina</span> Boxing competition

    Anthony Joshua vs Éric Molina was a heavyweight professional boxing match contested between undefeated IBF champion Anthony Joshua, and the IBF's number 7 ranked contender and former world title challenger, Éric Molina. The bout took place on 10 December 2016 at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England. Joshua defeated Molina, retaining his heavyweight title via third-round technical knockout (TKO).

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder III</span> Boxing competition

    Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder III billed as "Once And For All" was a professional boxing trilogy fight between WBC and The Ring heavyweight champion, Tyson Fury, and former WBC heavyweight champion, Deontay Wilder. The bout took place at T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada on October 9, 2021. The fight, which Fury won via eleventh-round knockout, was widely regarded as the best fight of the year and one of the greatest heavyweight fights of all time, winning the award for The Ring magazine Fight of the Year 2021.

    Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua is a proposed heavyweight professional boxing match contested between WBC champion, Tyson Fury, and former WBA (Super), IBF, WBO and IBO champion, Anthony Joshua. The fight has been dubbed as the "biggest fight in British boxing history" and "The Battle of Britain". As of May 2024, no agreement has been reached which secured a fight between the two heavyweights.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Oleksandr Usyk vs Anthony Joshua II</span> Boxing competition

    Oleksandr Usyk vs Anthony Joshua II, billed as Rage on the Red Sea, was a heavyweight professional boxing match between WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight champion, Oleksandr Usyk, and former heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshua. The bout took place on 20 August 2022 at King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Usyk won the 12-round bout by split decision, with scores of 116–112 and 115–113 in his favour, and 115–113 in favour of Joshua.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Oleksandr Usyk vs Derek Chisora</span> Boxing match

    Oleksandr Usyk vs Derek Chisora, billed as Fright Night, was a professional boxing match contested between former undisputed cruiserweight champion and the WBO's heavyweight mandatory challenger, Oleksandr Usyk, and WBO Inter-Continental heavyweight champion, Derek Chisora. The bout took place on 31 October 2020 at The SSE Arena, with Usyk winning by unanimous decision.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Oleksandr Usyk vs Daniel Dubois</span> Boxing competition

    Oleksandr Usyk vs Daniel Dubois was a heavyweight professional boxing match between WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, IBO and The Ring heavyweight champion, Ukrainian, Oleksandr Usyk and WBA (Regular) heavyweight champion, Briton, Daniel Dubois.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony Joshua vs Otto Wallin</span> Professional boxing match

    The Day of Reckoning, was the billing of a professional boxing event. While the fight card consists of eight fights, two heavyweight fights serve as co-main events. The first, Anthony Joshua vs Otto Wallin was contested between English former WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua and Swedish WBA inter-continental heavyweight champion Otto Wallin. The second, Deontay Wilder vs Joseph Parker, was contested between American former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder and New Zealand IBF and WBO inter-continental heavyweight champion Joseph Parker.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk</span> 2024 professional boxing match

    Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk, billed as Ring of Fire, was a heavyweight professional boxing match contested between WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and unified WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, IBO, and The Ring heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight championship. It was scheduled to take place on 17 February 2024 at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, then postponed due to a facial injury sustained by Fury in training. It was rescheduled the next day and took place on 18 May 2024 at the same venue. Usyk won by split decision.

    References

    1. ↑ Benson, Michael (24 June 2019). "WBO explain why Usyk is made mandatory for Ruiz vs Joshua rematch winner, not Whyte". Talksport . Archived from the original on 25 August 2019. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
    2. ↑ Rafael, Dan (12 December 2019). "Joshua has dual mandatory orders from IBF, WBO". ESPN . Archived from the original on 13 December 2019. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
    3. ↑ Donovan, Jake (19 January 2021). "Fury-Joshua: WBO To Conditionally Approve Undisputed Championship". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
    4. ↑ Donovan, Jake (19 May 2021). "Joshua-Usyk: WBO Gives Hearn 48 Hours To Provide Proof of Fury Deal". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
    5. ↑ Donovan, Jake (22 May 2021). "WBO Orders Joshua-Usyk, Rejects Hearn Request For Extension On Show Cause Notice". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
    6. ↑ "Eddie Hearn confirms Anthony Joshua will fight Oleksandr Usyk on September 25". The Independent . 25 June 2021. Archived from the original on 25 June 2021. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
    7. ↑ "Anthony Joshua: 'I need to fight Tyson Fury, we need it for boxing'". BBC Sport. 13 September 2021. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
    8. 1 2 Benson, Michael (26 September 2021). "Anthony Joshua result: Brit loses by unanimous decision as Oleksandr Usyk outclasses champion with magnificent boxing performance to leave Tyson Fury super-fight in tatters". talkSport.com.
    9. ↑ Coppinger, Mike (26 September 2021). "Boxing lost its biggest fight in Tyson Fury-Anthony Joshua but gained a star in Oleksandr Usyk". ESPN.
    10. ↑ "Oleksandr Usyk vs. Anthony Joshua - CompuBox Punch Stats". BoxingScene. 25 September 2021.
    11. 1 2 McLaughlin, Luke (25 September 2021). "Oleksandr Usyk beats Anthony Joshua by unanimous decision – as it happened". The Guardian.
    12. 1 2 3 Ringside Footage Emerges Of Anthony Joshua's 'Sarcastic' Reaction After Scorecards Were Read Out
    13. ↑ The name of the judge was incorrectly entered on the scoring card. Instead of Fesechko, the organizers wrote Fesechenko.
    14. ↑ Judge's profile of Viktor Fesechko on the boxrec.com
    15. 1 2 Barry, Coral (25 September 2021). "Oleksandr Usyk beats Anthony Joshua: Ukrainian challenger outclasses Briton by unanimous decision". BBC Sport.
    16. ↑ Coleman, Joe (26 September 2021). "Lennox Lewis critical of Anthony Joshua as 'Battle of Britain' hopes with Tyson Fury in tatters after Oleksandr Usyk outclasses AJ". talkSport.com.
    17. ↑ Ricks, William (26 September 2021). "A new champion: Reactions to Oleksandr Usyk's victory against Anthony Joshua". ESPN.
    18. ↑ Al-Khateeb, Zac (26 September 2021). "Boxing world reacts to Oleksandr Usyk upset of Anthony Joshua: 'He dominated him'". Sporting News.
    19. ↑ Netherton, Alexander (29 September 2021). "Anthony Joshua rematch clause 'activated in principle' as Oleksandr Usyk pushes for Kiev fight venue". DAZN.
    20. 1 2 Collins, Michael (27 September 2021). "Eddie Hearn: Joshua's Game Plan Is To Hurt Usyk In The Rematch, Not Box". Boxing News 24/7.
    21. ↑ Coppinger, Mike (10 October 2021). "Anthony Joshua exercises right to rematch with Oleksandr Usyk for heavyweight championship". ESPN.
    22. ↑ "Usyk, Joshua share intense faceoff, ready for rematch". BY STEVE DOUGLAS. AP SPORTS. JUNE 22, 2022.
    23. ↑ "Broadcast of the fight "Joshua - Usyk" and the movie "Stadion, tak stadion"* – розклад сеансів, квитки у кіно у Кінотеатрі Сінема Сіті Kyiv, Ocean Plaza". cinemaciti.ua. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
    24. ↑ "Joshua affrontera Usyk le 25 septembre". myCANAL (in French). Retrieved 14 September 2021.
    25. ↑ "WK Boksen: Joshua Vs. Usyk". www.tvgids.tv. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
    26. ↑ "Бой: Усик - Джошуа". www.ren.tv. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
    27. ↑ "What channel is the Joshua vs. Usyk fight? A full comprehensive list of countries where you can watch on DAZN | DAZN News Global". 25 September 2021.
    Preceded by Anthony Joshua' bouts
    25 September 2021    		Succeeded by
    Preceded by Oleksandr Usyk's bouts
    25 September 2021
    This page is based on this Wikipedia article
    Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
    Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.