Anthony Joshua blames loss to Usyk on overtraining for the fight

By Boxing News - 08/21/2022 - Comments

By Charles Brun: Anthony Joshua claims he would have beaten Oleksandr Usyk last Saturday night if he hadn’t left the better part of himself in the gym.

AJ says he “left everything” in the gym while training for the fight and wasn’t at his best on the night at the Jeddah Superdome in Saudi Arabia.

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Making excuses for his loss gives the impression that Joshua (24-3, 22 KOs) is a sour loser and can’t give credit where credit is due.

Joshua looked improved from the fighter that had lost to Usyk in their first fight last September, but he wasn’t good enough.

Usyk (20-0, 13 KOs) threw too many punches, particularly in the championship rounds when the match was on the line.

“It wasn’t good enough. I adapted, and I made changes needed to give him a more competitive fight. It wasn’t enough. I left everything in the gym. If I’d have left everything in the ring, I would’ve won,” said Joshua after his loss to Usyk.

“You can tell a lot about a man by the way he wins and he loses,” said Eric Molina to iFL TV. “Tonight, there was a side of Joshua that was revealed to the world. I heard some of the comments that he made. I would have liked to have heard him get up to the mic and say, ‘You know what. I’m with the people of Ukraine, and I’m with world peace.

“It was the perfect opportunity to do those things and be that guy. Instead, he got the mic and said something completely opposite. I think he’s going to receive a lot of criticism for that. I don’t agree with the way he handled himself.

“I blame his team also because his team could have held him back on himself there after the fight. Sometimes it’s better to say nothing. Congratulate the fighter and go on. I handled my losses the way I handled them, and I didn’t agree with that.

“This is a proper man who don’t talk s***, who don’t tell lies. He gives everyone his time,” said Eddie Hearn to iFL TV about Joshua. “I don’t know Tyson Fury well enough.

“This guy is my friend; he’s a great individual. He gave everything tonight. If you want to goad him for that, then you are what you are,” said Hearn.

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