A critical look at the past week in boxing
GOOD
Anthony Joshua was better and more determined on Saturday than he was in his first fight with Oleksandr Usyk. In other words, the former two-time heavyweight champion was more dangerous.
And Usyk still won what I believe was a clear victory.
If there was any doubt about the Ukrainian marvel’s place among the best heavyweights – and boxers in general – of his era, they dissipated into the dry air of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Usyk didn’t dominate Joshua, which would’ve been too much to ask given Joshua’s size, ability and focus in this fight. But he did about as well as he could to earn a split-decision nod, which is all we can expect of any fighter.
Joshua, somewhat more aggressive than he was in the first fight, got off to a strong start primarily by going to the body. Usyk adjusted after a few rounds and then began to outbox the challenger.
Joshua rallied in Rounds 8 and especially 9, when he seemed to stun Usyk more than once. The champion withstood that pressure and controlled the fight down the stretch. He won the final three rounds on two cards and two rounds on the third.
That’s what great fighters do. They overcome adversity and do what it takes to seize victory against their most-capable opponents.
Usyk did that at cruiserweight, at which he became undisputed champion. And at heavyweight he defeated one of the most-feared heavyweights of the past few decades in back to back fights, which is a remarkable achievement.
Now could come the hardest part: Tyson Fury, his fellow titleholder. They now appear to be on a collision course. I expect them to meet early next year in what is now the biggest possible showdown in the sport.
Fury isn’t Joshua. He’s bigger and better than his countryman, which would present the ultimate challenge for Usyk. I’ll never pick against Fury, who I believe is the best active heavyweight.
I wouldn’t put anything past Usyk, though. Great fighters do great things.
BAD
Joshua clearly used his size and strength advantages over Usyk more than he did in their first fight, generally pushing the action, consistently attacking Usyk’s body and jumping on him when he appeared to have him hurt in Round 9.
However, Joshua didn’t fight aggressively enough. And it cost him what would’ve been a career-defining victory.
Joshua revealed what might’ve been his path to success in that ninth round, when he had Usyk in trouble. He suddenly reached into the past and became a fierce warrior, one with unbridled confidence in his ability to destroy his opponents.
That’s how Joshua should’ve fought the entire fight. Instead, he essentially tried to outbox a boxing wizard, which was a bad idea.
Usyk rebounded from the precarious Round 9 to dominate the next round and control the rest of the fight as Joshua reverted to the relatively tentative fighter who wasn’t willing to take the risks necessary to turn the tables on his conqueror.
To be fair, Joshua acquitted himself well. He pushed Usyk to his limits and came within a few rounds of reclaiming his place at the pinnacle of his division. He should find some solace in that.
At the same time, a fighter once destined for greatness has now lost three of his past five fights, including chubby Andy Ruiz Jr.’s unforgettable upset in 2019. That type of run from Joshua would’ve been unfathomable a few years ago.
His story isn’t completely written, however. He can point out that he avenged the setback to Ruiz and came fairly close to doing so in his rematch with Usyk, a clear indication that he can still hold his own against elite opposition.
Who knows? Maybe he still has a great victory in him yet.
WORSE
I’ve had doubts about Joshua’s mental toughness since his first fight with Ruiz but I always thought of him as a classy guy. Now I’m not sure about that.
His post-fight rant after grabbing the microphone and refusing to relinquish it was disturbing, in part because he pulled a Kanye West by stealing Usyk’s moment. Some of his diatribe made sense, some of it didn’t. All of it was bizarre.
He gave Usyk credit during his soliloquy, which was a positive.
“This guy to beat me tonight … maybe I could’ve done better … but it shows the levels of hard work he must have put in. So please give him a round of applause as our heavyweight champion of the world,” Joshua said.
He also took the opportunity to respond to his critics, who have questioned his fighting style and spirt.
That’s fine but he could’ve said the same thing in a proper interview, which would’ve been more respectful to Usyk and everyone else watching.
Then, after he finally gave up the mic, he became angry. He somehow gained possession of two of Usyk’s championship belts, tossed them over the ropes and stormed out of the ring toward his dressing room. Then, after he apparently realizing he made the wrong move, he returned to embrace Usyk.
I’m not going to dismiss Joshua as a bad egg based on one emotionally charged speech. I doubt I’ll look at him quite the same, though.
RABBIT PUNCHES
I have a lot of respect for judge Glenn Feldman, which is why I was surprised by his score in the Usyk-Joshua fight. He had Joshua winning 115-113, seven rounds to five. I scored it for Usyk by the same score so I can’t say that Feldman’s card was outrageous. However, I don’t see how he found seven rounds to give Joshua. Once again, though, the right man had his hand raised. That’s what counts. The other two judges had Usyk winning 116-112 and 115-113. … Usyk had a big edge in CompuBox numbers, for what it’s worth. He landed 170 of 712 punches overall to 124 of 492 for Joshua. And Usyk outlanded Joshua 79-29 in the last three rounds. … No elite heavyweight will be afraid to fight contender Filip Hrgovic (15-0, 12 KOs) going forward. The Croatian, who has had trouble luring other top big men into the ring, was knocked down in the first round and eked out a close, unanimous decision against Zhang Zhilei (24-1-1, 19 KOs) on the Usyk-Joshua card. Hrgovic looked like an ordinary heavyweight, not the next great thing. The good news for him is that he won the fight and will have learned from the experience. … Callum Smith (29-1, 21 KOs) easily dispatched Mathieu Bauderlique (21-2, 12 KOs), brutally stopping the Frenchman in the fourth round in their 175-pound bout on the Usyk-Joshua card. The Liverpudlian looked like he could be competitive with anyone not named Canelo Alvarez. …
I was uncomfortable watching the fight between Sergey Lipinets (17-2-1, 13 KOs) and Omar Figureoa Jr. (28-3-1, 19 KOs). And I know I wasn’t alone. Figueroa looked horrible in his previous fight, a sixth-round knockout loss to Abel Ramos, and had been out of the ring for more than 15 months. Still, he was originally paired with Adrian Broner in a main event on Showtime. Broner pulled out and was replaced by Lipinets, who posed an even bigger challenge for Figueroa. The result was predictable. Lipinets battered Figueroa until the latter’s father/trainer stopped the beat down after eight rounds to save Figueroa from further punishment. Figueroa should never been in the ring. Thank goodness the former lightweight titleholder recognized the fact he’s shot and said he’s finished as an active fighter. … Hector Garcia (16-0, 10 KOs) is a great story. The 2016 Olympian for his native Dominican Republic was a relative unknown six months ago. Now, after an upset victory over Chris Colbert and a unanimous decision over Roger Gutierrez (26-4-1, 20 KOs) on the Lipinets-Figueroa card, he’s a 130-pound world champion and a major player in the sport. The ability to change one’s life overnight is one of the great things about boxing. …
I have no problem with the judges giving Alberto Puello (21-0, 10 KOs) a split-decision nod over Batyr Akhmedov (9-2, 8 KOs) in their battle for a vacant 140-pound title on the Lipinets-Figueroa card but the two 117-111 (nine rounds to three) scores were insulting to Akhmedov, who fought his heart out in a competitive, entertaining fight. The third judge, Lisa Giampa, had Akhmedov winning 115-113. I scored it 114-114. Puello did a good job of withstanding Akhmedov’s relentless pressure and landing clean, eye-catching counter shots. He’s one to watch. … The Dominican Republic had a huge night on Saturday, with both Garcia and Puello winning world titles. That’s remarkable given the country’s population, only around 11 million. The DR is one of the best boxing countries pound-for-pound… Emanuel Navarrete (36-1, 30 KOs) demonstrated that a fighter can overcome anything with punching power. The 126-pound titleholder looked out of sorts against Eduardo Baez (21-3-2, 7 KOs) after a 10-month layoff and difficulty making weight. The capable Baez outboxed him for five-plus rounds. Then it was over in an instant. Navarrete paralyzed Baez with a left hook to the body and he couldn’t continue. Navarrete had been in talks to face gifted 130-pound champ Shakur Stevenson. The version of Navarrete we saw on Saturday would’ve been embarrassed by Stevenson. He needs to decide whether to stay at 126 or move up to 130, stay active and stay disciplined if he hopes to have ongoing success. Power won’t rescue him in every fight.
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