Usyk, inagawan ng korona si Joshua sa unification bout

ni MC / Gerard Arce - @Sports | September 27, 2021

Nagkaroon ng problema ang planong megafight sa pagitan nina Tyson Fury at Anthony Joshua matapos makigulo si Oleksandr Usyk.

Ito’y nang talunin ng dating undisputed cruiserweight champion na si Usyk si Joshua via unanimous decision sa kanilang laban sa iskor na 117-112, 116-112 at 115-113. Naagaw ni Usyk (19-0, 13 KOs) ang hawak na titulo ni Joshua na WBA (Super), WBO at IBF gamit ang kombinasyon ng footworks, head movement at sharp left para mapanatiling off balance si Joshua sa kabuuan ng 12-round fight nila na pinanood ng mahigit 70,000 pro-Joshua fans sa Tottenham Hotspur Stadium sa London, England.

Ito lamang ang ikatlong laban ng 34-anyos na 2011 Baku World Championship titlist sa Heavyweight division at maging ikatlong boksingero sa kasaysayan na maghari sa cruiserweight at heavyweight category kasama sina Evander “The Real Deal” Holyfield at 1976 Montreal Olympic champion Michael “Jinx” Spinks, na lumaban naman sa light-heavyweight at heavyweight noong mid at late 1980’s.

Dahil sa panalo, inaasahang sasagupain ni Usyk ang magwawagi sa pagitan nina WBC champion Tyson Fury at Deontay Wilder sa October 9. “The fight went exactly like I expected it to go…I had no objective to knock him out….I was trying early in the fight, but my trainer said ‘stop and do your job.’ … The only thing I wanted to do in this fight is give praise to my Lord and savior, Jesus Christ. 12 years ago on this day my wife said yes to me (his proposal for marriage),” pahayag ni Usyk sa isang interpreter matapos ang laban.

Mayroong nakasaad na rematch sa pagitan ng dalawang boksingero, ngunit direktang sinabi ni Usyk na nais muna nitong makapagpahinga at makita ang kanyang pamilya na matagal niyang hindi nakasama. “I wanna go home. I have not seen my family for months. I want to be with my them. I don’t want to think about a rematch.”