Oleksandr Usyk gives message to Anthony Joshua: “I’m coming for you”

By Boxing News - 10/31/2020 - Comments

By Mark Eisner: WBO heavyweight mandatory Oleksandr Usyk (18-0, 13 KOs) wasted little time in calling out WBO champion Anthony Joshua immediately following his impressive 12 round unanimous decision victory over Dereck ‘Delboy’ Chisora (32-10, 23 KOs) on Saturday night at the Wembley Arena in London, England.

Usyk used his superior boxing skills to outbox the much heavier and more powerful Chisora in a fight without fans. Chisora had his moments early on, but he couldn’t sustain the pace required for him to get the victory.

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During Chisora’s finest moments, he exposed flaws in Usyk’s game that Joshua or Tyson Fury could exploit. The way that Usyk was able to adapt to the different things that Chisora was doing spoiled his efforts to try and win. If Chisora had done certain things a little better, he might have won.

The judges’ scores show that Chisora was in the fight and had a chance to win if he didn’t fade in the last half of the match. The scores were 117-112, 115-113, and 115-113.

Image: Oleksandr Usyk gives message to Anthony Joshua: "I'm coming for you"

Oleksandr impressed by Chisora’s power

“I was very happy to be back in the ring. I haven’t been fighting for over a year,” said Usyk at the post-fight news conference. “I had a big pleasure. If you saw my smile when I went into the ring. I want to thank God for this victory.

“He had big power and huge punches, but Roman, who helped me prepare, had the same kind of punches. So I was prepared for it. I wasn’t thinking about his IQ.

“I was just thinking about his boxing, and that I wanted to go around and throw my left hook or my right hand. I am very thankful for him to give me this opportunity to fight with him, and I’m very thankful to his team. I am happy. He’s a good man,” said Usyk.

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Chisora landed a lot of good shots in the fight, but he also missed a lot. He lacked the consistency for him to beat Usyk, and that’s what hurt him tonight. Having power is one thing, but if he can’t land your punches, it’s useless.

Usyk’s punches didn’t possess the same strength, but he still a lot of damage with them just by the sheer accumulation. The pace that Usyk set was also a huge factor in him winning. He wore the 6’2″, 255-pound Chisora out.

Image: Oleksandr Usyk gives message to Anthony Joshua: "I'm coming for you"

A fighter with that type of build was always going to have problems trying to keep up with the lighter 218-lb Usyk. The logical thing that Chisora should have done was work on his cardio and take some weight off during training camp, but if he had done that, his power wouldn’t have been as formidable.

Usyk sends a message to Anthony Joshua

“I want, I don’t think, I want,” said Usyk when asked if he wants to fight Anthony Joshua next. “I am guessing that’s what I want [for Joshua to fight him next], but I can’t guarantee 100%. Anthony, how are you? I’m coming for you,” Usyk said in a low, scary voice when asked if he has a personal message to Joshua.

Image: Oleksandr Usyk gives message to Anthony Joshua: "I'm coming for you"

“Thank you so much, England, Ukraine, and the world. Thank you so much,” Usyk said when asked for parting words to the UK boxing fans,” said Usyk.

It’ll be interesting to see what Joshua says in response to Usyk calling him out. Joshua has a big ego, and he’s not going to like having to tell the boxing world that he’s not willing to fight Usyk next because people will think that he’s ducking him.

Not everyone will see Joshua avoid the Usyk contest, but enough fans will for it to potentially bother him. But AJ is more interested in fighting Tyson Fury right now, and he’s probably not going to give that up for a smaller match against Usyk.

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