Oleksandr Usyk beats Anthony Joshua - how the boxing world reacted
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The fight was regarded as a meeting between a ruthless knockout artist in Joshua and a boxing technician in Usyk
On Saturday night in London, Anthony Joshua's road to 'undisputed' took an unwanted turn as boxing crowned a new heavyweight king.
In front of 66,267 fans at The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Joshua lost his WBO, WBA and IBF heavyweight belts to Ukraine's Oleksandr Usyk.
Here's how the night unfolded on social media…
Elba, Rice & an astronaut helmet - the build-up
Big fight nights attract big names from all corners of celebrity, and Saturday evening was no different.
Rooting on their countryman were one of the finest British actors of recent times and an England footballer at the top of his game…
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As the last-minute predictions came rolling in, this Kazakhstan great just wanted to see a 'big drama show'…
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He may be ruthless and explosive in the ring, but 'AJ' has built a reputation of being Mr Nice Guy outside of it.
True to form, he even had time to acknowledge fellow British fighter Callum Smith on arrival to the stadium...
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Nerves? What nerves?...
Meanwhile Usyk had his game face on…
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As the first bell approached, lights on phone cameras lit up the stadium, the crowd belted out Neil Diamond's Sweet Caroline and Master of Ceremonies Michael Buffer introduced both fighters.
Big time boxing was back with a bang and London was rocking…
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Usyk wore an astronaut helmet on his walk to the ring, knowing a win would place him on top of the world.
Joshua, sporting a crisp white robe, made a spectacular - albeit long - entrance, complete with fireworks and Rocky theme music…
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Usyk sets the tone from round one
The bout was widely regarded as a meeting between a ruthless knockout artist in Joshua and a boxing technician in Usyk.
Was Usyk - who cleaned up the cruiserweight division - too small for the heavyweight division?
Or was Joshua - who has shown his vulnerabilities in the past - going to be able to match his opponent's boxing IQ?
Those questions were pretty much answered after round one…
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As the first few rounds passed, Joshua was struggling to solve the Usyk puzzle…
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Joshua fights back but Usyk won't budge
At the halfway point, however, Joshua landed a couple of powerful blows.
Could this change the course of this fight...?
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Usyk found a second wind and, as we entered the championship rounds, Joshua needed to find something special…
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In the closing seconds of the final round, Usyk unleashed a barrage of shots as Joshua clung on.
The writing was on the wall for the champion...
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'Usyk showed his pedigree'
As the judges' scorecards were announced, Usyk - who won by unanimous decision - wiped back the tears.
The new champion had reaffirmed his claim of being one of - if not the - best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet.
The boxing world applauded…
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It's often said a true champion is one who can beat his opponent in their own back yard.
Well, Usyk has beaten Krzysztof Glowacki in Poland, Michael Hunter in America, Marco Huck in Germany, Mairis Briedis in Latvia, Murat Gassiev in Russia and Tony Bellew, Derek Chisora and now Joshua in the United Kingdom.
Having suffered his second defeat as a professional - after losing to Andy Ruiz Jr in 2019 - Joshua's quest to become an undisputed heavyweight champion has taken a major blow.
Joshua left the ring soon after the result, but there were no sour grapes or excuses from the 31-year-old when speaking at the media conference a little later...
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He has still treated fight fans to some wonderful nights though and fellow boxers came out in support of the Londoner…
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The undercard - Hatton controversy
There was outrage among boxing fans earlier in the night when Briton Campbell Hatton was awarded a points decision against Sonni Martinez.
The son of Manchester fighting legend Ricky - in just his fourth professional fight - took several shots in the six-round encounter.
Hatton bears an uncanny resemblance to his dad, while he also seems to share the same gift of the gab.
But those in the boxing world thought the hand of Spaniard Martinez should have been raised at the end of the fight.
Some feel Hatton - who had a relatively short amateur career - needs to spend time honing his craft, while one fighter felt the 20-year-old is being given too much promotion.
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The undercard - what's next for Okolie?
London's WBO cruiserweight champion Lawrence Okolie defended his belt with a third-round knockout win over Montenegro's Dilan Prasovic in the chief support to the main event.
Okolie extended his unbeaten winning record to 17-0 with an impressive performance...
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Having beaten his mandatory challenger, Okolie will now look to unify the cruiserweight division.
France's WBA 'super' champion Arsen Goulamirian and Congo's WBC title-holder Ilunga Makabu are potential opponents, but Okolie says he'd like to face Mairis Briedis - who holds the IBF and Ring Magazine belts - next.
The Latvian's promoters are up for it…
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The final word
We must bow out with the two heavyweight stars who treated fight fans to 36 minutes of entertainment.
As we saw throughout the build-up, there was no bad blood between Joshua and Usyk as the night drew to a close...
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And despite the defeat, Joshua still remains positive...
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- Published29 November 2021
