Anthony Joshua met Oleksandr Usyk for the primary time since he misplaced his heavyweight titles final 12 months when the 2 boxers met at a press convention on Tuesday to announce their revenge in Saudi Arabia on August 20.
The 2 fighters went face to face on stage. It became an elongated face with not one of the males keen to interrupt free from their first stardown because the battle.
Usyk tormented Joshua over 12 rounds in September at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London to present Watford’s heavyweights a unanimous resolution loss and the second defeat of his skilled profession.
None of them have boxed since then, however they’ll battle a rematch this summer season in Saudi Arabia with Joshua below strain to regain the united WBO, WBA and IBF heavyweight titles and regain their place within the division.
Each Joshua and Usyk gained gold medals on the 2012 London Olympics. Ukraine’s Usyk turned the undisputed champion in cruiserweight. Towards Joshua, he proved he might deal with a number one heavyweight and is now thought of among the finest pound-for-pound fighters on this planet as we speak.
However the Briton is satisfied that he has realized from their first match and can make the mandatory adjustments to win the second time.
“If God wills, I’ll carry out and I’ll change into a three-time heavyweight champion on this planet,” Joshua mentioned.
“The nice factor is that I’ve a second probability. What made me begin boxing – once I was younger I received just a little drawback once in a while and I used to be blessed with a second probability and I discovered boxing. And I took it with each fingers So if you realize me and far of my historical past, you realize I am the comeback king.
“You’ll be able to put me down. Nevertheless it’s arduous to maintain me down.”
Unsick, measured in his strategy as all the time, mentioned calmly, “As everyone knows we’re not in the most effective situation proper now at dwelling [in Ukraine] however we do what we’ve got to do. We do our job. Along with my workforce, we work arduous to realize our targets. I by no means gave very loud and vibrant speeches. All I did was work arduous at my coaching camp and gymnasium. That is what I am going to do till the date of the battle after which I am going to go into the ring and can make you pleased with my boxing. “
Joshua reversed his first skilled loss when he singled out Andy Ruiz in one other rematch in Saudi Arabia in 2019. However he admits he might want to change his techniques for this match in August with Usyk.
To that finish, he has introduced in a brand new coach, Robert Garcia, to hitch Angel Fernandez in his nook. “Typically in the event you preserve issues easy, you may obtain superb issues,” he mentioned. “Robert has been improbable within the camp.
“Positively the starvation continues to be there.”
“Blips occur, issues occur in life,” he added. “We’re nonetheless on the street, nonetheless on our option to undisputed for certain.”
“Joshua fought the mistaken battle in opposition to Usyk”
New coach Robert Garcia explains why AJ might be totally different within the rematch
Anthony Joshua has introduced in a brand new coach for his revenge with Oleksandr Usyk with Robert Garcia becoming a member of his workforce.
The American insists that Joshua might be one other fighter when he enters the ring for revenge. “I see one other Anthony now. The way in which he thinks, the best way he talks, all the pieces he trains, all the pieces he does within the gymnasium,” Garcia mentioned.
“I believe he fought the mistaken battle [before against Usyk] and that’s the previous. It has already occurred. Usyk was the higher man. Congratulations to him, however on August 20, we’ll do all the pieces essential to win these titles. I do know he can do it. He’s the larger man, the stronger man, he has the attain benefit so we’ll profit from all that and can come that day I believe for sure we can have a three-time heavyweight champion on this planet. “
As a workforce, Garcia says they’re very motivated. “I need my first heavyweight champion on this planet. I’ve had 14 world champions. He might be my fifteenth however he might be my first heavyweight champion on this planet and that’s huge, huge for me too,” he added.
“We have now to be ready for all the pieces. Usyk is a good fighter. He has expertise, he has reflexes, he has precision, he has all the pieces. However I believe Anthony has all of the instruments to beat him.”