Joshua, 31, lost in profiling for the second time in the 26th matchup, and last June he sensibly lost to Andy Ruiz of the United States. Six months later, he took back the champion’s belts.

In contrast, Usyk, three years his senior, remained undefeated even after the 19th duel, but only boxed for the third time in heavyweight. Before that, he entered the crossweight category, in which he reigned, and in 2018 he managed to get the belts of the big four organizations.

After Evander Holyfield and David Haye, Usyk became the third boxer to reign in cross and heavyweight. In addition, he followed in the footsteps of his legendary compatriots brothers Vladimir and Vitaliy Klickova, also former champions.

“The fight went as I expected. There were times when Anthony pushed me a lot, but it was nothing special. I didn’t aim to knock him out. J “Been working hard for this fight since January, it took half an hour. year and I haven’t seen my family for a long time. Now I’m going to go home happy and be with her,” Usyk said.

In the contract, Joshua has the option of retaliation if he wishes. “Count on one hundred and ten percent,” said the British boxer. According to the AP agency, his promoter Eddie Hearn is considering February or March he would box again on the islands.

Joshua said he had barely seen since the ninth round due to a swollen eye. “This happened to me for the first time, you can’t control what’s going on in the ring right now. But I certainly don’t come home crying. It’s a war and I won’t be bored. , this is a waste of time. I will be back, ”added Joshua.

In the meantime, he can forget the expected duel with his compatriot Tyson Fury, holder of the WBC belt. Fury has to box with Deontay Wilder first, they are expected to fight on October 9.