Oleksandr Usyk pulled off one of the biggest upsets in boxing after beating Anthony Joshua via unanimous decision in a Saturday bout that certainly didn't disappoint. In fact, NBA stars like Damian Lillard and Karl-Anthony Towns were tuned in throughout and were hyped after witnessing an instant classic.
Usyk fought well and was dominant from start to finish, never giving AJ any chance at all. By the final round, it was made clear that Joshua needed a knockout if he wants the unified heavyweight titles. However, the Ukrainian boxing champ was simply too much for the British fighter.
In the end, the judges scored the fight 117-112, 116-112 and 115-113 to give Usyk the WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO heavyweight world titles. The 34-year-old also remain unbeaten with a 19-0 record, including 13 knockouts.
Towns was simply impressed with the quality of boxing that the two heavyweights put up, while Lillard showed his respect to both Usyk and Joshua. The Portland Trail Blazers superstar then shared his desire to watch a rematch between the fighters–something that he knows would equally be remarkable.
This has been a great fight. Boxing at its highest level #JoshuaUsyk
— Karl-Anthony Towns (@KarlTowns) September 25, 2021
Usyk by unanimous decision man. Respect to AJ tho
— Damian Lillard (@Dame_Lillard) September 25, 2021
Rematch gone be even tougher for AJ. Usyk gone get more comfortable at this weight and he gone know AJ better… lookin forward to it
— Damian Lillard (@Dame_Lillard) September 25, 2021
Other NBA players like Chimezie Metu and Michael Carter-Williams, as well as former player and now Atlanta Hawks assistant Nick Van Exel, couldn't help but react to the epic boxing showdown as they sent their congratulatory messages to Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua.
Damn AJ 😓
— Chimezie Metu™ (@Chimezie_Metu) September 25, 2021
Congrats to the new heavy weight champ! @usykaa
— Michael Carter-Willi (@mcarterwilliams) September 25, 2021
Annnnnd the newwww!!! #usykjoshua
— nick vanexel (@vanexel31) September 25, 2021
It was undoubtedly a memorable fight. While some would have wanted to see Joshua win–being the slight betting favorite entering the contest–Usyk deserved the victory with his brilliant showing. However, for those looking for a boxing rematch, they may have to wait as the new champ plans to rest and spend some time with his family.
“I've been working so hard since January. It took me some half a year. I miss my children and I want to go home. I'm not thinking about the rematch,” Usyk said, per The Athletic.
However, he did hint that he's open to fighting Joshua again, saying: “You didn't see the best Usyk. I can be much better.”
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