The bout watched online, marked Joshua’s first fight since a car crash in Nigeria in December claimed the lives of Ghami, his strength and conditioning coach, and Ayodele, his personal trainer.

Joshua entered the ring wearing camouflage attire bearing the names of the deceased coaches in their honour.

Speaking after the fight, the former world heavyweight champion described the victory as a tribute to their memory.

“It’s what champions do. We rise, we get knocked down and we stand up and keep going. That’s life.

“It was more than punch power. That was spirit, that was Latz, that was Sina and their families. It still hurts to talk about it. It’s been tough.”

Joshua, who started the contest as the overwhelming favourite, suffered a dramatic opening round after Prenga knocked him down twice within the first three minutes.

However, the British boxer recovered to dominate the contest, eventually stopping the Albanian in the second round to remain on course for a highly anticipated showdown with fellow Briton Tyson Fury.

Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, praised the former champion’s resilience, describing his performance as remarkable given the personal tragedy he had endured.

“No one can imagine what Anthony has been through in the last seven months.

“To even step into the ring was astonishing,” Hearn said.

He added that Joshua had used his training camp to remain focused while coping with grief, noting that the fighter had shown exceptional determination after being knocked down twice.

Hearn also confirmed that contracts had been signed for the long-awaited heavyweight clash between Joshua and Fury, although the date and venue are yet to be announced.

Fury, who defeated 46-year-old Mariusz Wach in Thailand on Friday, did not attend Joshua’s fight as he returned to the Isle of Man after his bout.

Joshua welcomed the prospect of facing Fury, saying he respected his fellow Briton’s achievements but was ready for the contest.

“I respect everything he has achieved, but this is the fight we’ve been calling for and now we’re here.

“I hope the fans will enjoy it.

“I’ve learned that I can’t be stopped, I won’t be denied, and we’re coming,” Joshua added.

Source: NAN

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The post Joshua dedicates victory to late coaches, eyes Fury showdown appeared first on Frontpageng.

The British heavyweight was fighting for the first time since surviving the December car crash in Nigeria that claimed the lives of his close friends Sina Ghami and Latif ‘Latz’ Ayodele.

He was sensationally rocked by a huge uppercut from underdog Prenga in the opening round, and then hit the canvas again later in the round.

At that point he looked on the verge of one of the biggest shock defeats in heavyweight history, with the long-awaited Tyson Fury fight hanging by a thread.

But Joshua produced one of the greatest escapes of his career, and now that fight is on.

He unleashed his right hand in the second round, with the final shot sending Albanian Prenga crashing down and forcing the referee to halt the contest.

“It’s more than punch power. That was spirit, that was Latz, that was Sina, that was the families. It hurts to even talk about it. It has been tough,” Joshua, 36, said.

He choked up and stepped away from the microphone, before adding: “It’s my brothers. I don’t want to talk about it.”

There had been speculation fellow Briton Fury might make an appearance despite insisting he would not attend.

But the master of mind games stayed true to his word, with Fury nowhere to be seen barely 24 hours on from his own warm-up win over Mariusz Wach in Thailand.

“I respect everything he has done and everything that he has achieved, but as a fighting person, we’re here now. I hope the fans will be in for a lovely treat,” Joshua said about the prospect of fighting Fury.

Contracts have been signed, but the venue and date for a fight more than a decade in the making are still unknown.

This chaotic night, however, belonged to Joshua in a victory forged through adversity during the most difficult months of his life.

Source: BBC

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The post Joshua knocked down twice as dramatic win sets up Fury fight appeared first on Frontpageng.

Miami came alive in the early hours as Anthony Joshua’s right hand finally found Jake Paul’s jaw, delivering a blunt reminder of the difference between boxing spectacle and boxing reality.

After four largely uneventful rounds in which Paul relied on movement and caution, Joshua connected decisively in the sixth round, underlining why he remains a serious, professional heavyweight, regardless of where he stands in his career.

Credit must still go to the YouTuber-turned-boxer for daring to imagine an upset. But ambition met reality when Paul hit the canvas, losing what became his second real test at this level.

Joshua’s knockdown by Daniel Dubois last year had painted the Briton as vulnerable, fueling Paul’s confidence that he might be easy prey.

That perception proved costly. Yes, Joshua may no longer be at his absolute peak, but Saturday’s bout showed the danger Paul faces when stepping into the ring with any real boxer, even one past his prime.

“I thought Joshua had removed my chin,” Paul said afterward. That, quite simply, is the price of sharing a ring with a genuine heavyweight.

Joshua has since called out fellow Briton Tyson Fury for a true heavyweight showdown, though it is clear that the Paul fight was driven largely by financial incentive.

According to estimates from Celebrity Net Worth, the Daily Mail, and former UFC champion Michael Bisping, the bout generated a reported $184 million purse, with Joshua and Paul earning approximately $92 million each. Paul later hinted on X (formerly Twitter) that the figure may even be higher.

Either way, Joshua leaves significantly wealthier. And at 36, one could argue he has little left to prove competitively.

Exhibition bouts and endorsements may now offer safer and smarter returns.

Congratulations to AJ.

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The post EXTRA: Joshua vs Paul: A taste of a real punch appeared first on Frontpageng.

Joshua cut an increasingly frustrated figure as Paul refused to engage by dancing around the ring for long spells, before the two-time world champion finally imposed himself by knocking down the YouTuber-turned-boxer twice in the fifth round.

Paul was down again in the sixth before Joshua landed a powerful and clean right hand that brought a surreal night to an abrupt conclusion at Miami’s Kaseya Center.

The American did not beat the count and there was palpable relief inside the arena when he was able to rise to his feet and leave the ring without assistance.

“It wasn’t the best performance,” Joshua, 36, said.

“The end goal was to pin Jake Paul down and hurt him. It took a bit longer than expected, but the right hand finally found the destination.”

It was the result the boxing world had overwhelmingly predicted, and the controversial bout raises questions about the safety risks created by such a vast gulf in experience, size and power.

Joshua claimed the 29th victory of his professional career in 33 outings and can now turn his attention to a more legitimate challenge – notably the long-mooted showdown with Tyson Fury next year.

“Come and fight one of the ‘realest’ fighters out there, step in there with me next if you’re a really bad boy,” Joshua told his rival.

Paul, meanwhile, failed to deliver on his promise to pull off the greatest upset in sports history.

The 28-year-old spent much of the fight tumbling to the canvas and clutching at Joshua’s legs, a reflection of the two-stone weight gap and how badly he struggled to cope with it.

Paul did manage to land a handful of shots, however, and the fact the contest stretched into the sixth round was an unflattering reflection on Joshua.

Joshua walked to the ring first and received a mixed reception inside the 20,000-seat arena.

His expression was stern, reflecting his insistence all week that he would treat the contest seriously.

Paul’s ringwalk raised eyebrows as he was flanked by rapper 6ix9ine, a controversial figure with a history of criminal convictions and prison time.

When the opening bell rang, Paul circled on the back foot and boos soon followed.

Joshua stalked him, swinging heavy lefts and rights that cut only air, with each miss drawing gasps from the crowd.

Paul responded by sticking out his tongue, playing to the theatre.

Every passing minute felt like a small victory for Paul, who just 13 months earlier fought 58-year-old Mike Tyson.

He did land a looping overhand right in the fourth, but it barely registered with Joshua.

The event was broadcast live to more than 300 million Netflix subscribers.

Golf superstar Rory McIlroy, fresh from his Sports Personality of the Year win, sat ringside alongside rappers Rick Ross and Timbaland.

The fifth round delivered what many had expected far earlier.

A right hook brushed Paul’s shoulder and sent him to the canvas.

Moments later, a combination dropped him again.

He rose heavily and was breathing hard as he attempted to mask the damage with bravado.

Another heavy right in the sixth sent Paul sprawling once more, prompting calls from sections of the crowd for the referee to step in.

Those who remembered Joshua’s brutal one-punch knockout of former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou earlier last year sensed a familiar ending approaching.

It was not quite as savage, but the straight right – the punch Joshua had been waiting for all night – finally landed flush.

This was not a contest designed to rigorously test Joshua’s boxing ability.

It was entertainment, engineered to generate attention and revenue.

“I don’t care about the legacy. All the legacy is there to just last for 50 years, then it’s done. This is what I do, I’ll do it until can’t any more,” Joshua said.

Joshua will leave Miami with his share of a reported purse of £210m and his focus is now expected to shift to another warm-up opponent in February before a potential showdown with Fury later in 2026.

Paul, meanwhile, admitted he “got beat up” but insisted he will come back and target a cruiserweight world title.

“I think my jaw is broken. But that was good, I’ll come back and get a world championship belt at some point,” he said.

Like him or loathe him, Paul draws audiences, headlines and debate in a way few boxers can.

The fact he convinced sections of the public that this fight might be competitive speaks volumes about his power as a promoter – even if as a boxer, he was found out.

Source: BBC

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The post Joshua stops Paul in sixth round of Miami mismatch appeared first on Frontpageng.

Joshua spoke with State House correspondents after a visit to President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday in Lagos.

On his chances of beating Fury, he said: “We’ll see, let’s get in the ring. Only God knows, but for me, we’ll see in the future.”

The boxer said he was hungry for more success and would work harder to achieve his target.

“Time is of the essence, time is limited. So, I just want to put in more work.

“In 2024, when I look back, I believe I could have done more and I have another chance in 2025 to do more.

“I’m going to make sure that I take every opportunity that comes my way,” he said.

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He said the chances of becoming a three-time world heavyweight champion were not over yet.

He said he should have won his last match against Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium on September 23, 2024, but didn’t.

“I’m going to go again. Ups and downs, they happen.

“To some people it is always up. My life is up and down, so I got to get used to the turbulent times and keep riding the wave.

“I can’t stop now, I have to keep going until I reach my destination.”

Joshua said he felt good energy during his visit to President Tinubu.

“I got to meet His Excellency. They did an amazing job at hosting me and my family today.

“I get to see how the country is organised and run, and have big plans for the future,” he said.

Source: NAN

The post 2025: I’m targeting Tyson Fury –Anthony Joshua appeared first on Frontpageng.

There was no round that Tyson Fury didn’t throw combinations but Oleksandr Usyk was too fast to be caught.

The cat didn’t fall for the bait, he did not wait to be caught by the Gypsy king’s uppercut and for the 12 rounds, he exhibited the better ring IQ to win this second fight unanimously by 116-112.

I ask again, who made the engine that runs inside Usyk? Of course God. But this Ukranian has not only shown us boxing, Usyk has taught us science early Sunday that there are so many ways to work out a win against an equally good boxer.

Despite the loss, I think Fury did his best. The Briton’s resilience showed that he actually wanted to win but Usyk’s ability was superior. Fury moved in earlier but Usyk would not allow him to impose his tactics.

From the early round to the later ones, Usyk dominated, using his slippery moves to hit Fury and living his evasive form to hide from the long arms of the Gypsy king.

Usyk is now a priority wh

It takes a very good boxer to touch Usyk. Fury was able to do this on a few occasions, mostly with some body shots that rocked the Ukrainian and forced him to step back.

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In this generation of heavyweight, Fury is the only elite that has given us trilogy and I see another one happening against Usyk unless the Ukrainian will return to the cruiserweight division as quickly as he has promised.

Fury has been here for about 16 years professionally and should be respected for coming out against the best in this division for a good show. He is a veteran of the game, yet he created some flashes of brilliance despite his slow speed.

To Usyk, I can only wish him congratulations once again. I did not expect anything less from him. As I said in my earlier post that this second fight would be for Usyk a reinvention of his last tactics and of course the perfection of it.

He did just that by turning a split decision in the first fight to unanimous decision in the second fight to show that he is the master of the game and the best in this era.

Usyk is now a priority when it comes to boxing greats, having taken on the best at both the cruiser and heavyweights division unbeaten.

Congratulations to Usyk, the Cat.

The post EXTRA: The Cat hunts and hurts the Gypsy King appeared first on Frontpageng.

Another classic encounter between the well-matched rivals ended in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with Usyk retaining his world championship belts by finishing 116-112 ahead on all three judges’ scorecards.

The Ukrainian thus continues on as holder of the titles belonging to the World Boxing Council, WBC, World Boxing Association, WBA, and World Boxing Organisation, WBO.

The result was a fair reflection of the Ukrainian’s control of the rematch given that he set the pace for most of the 12 rounds.

He was the harder worker, landing more frequently and with greater impact.

Fury described his grim-faced demeanour this week as “beast mode” and while his greater focus was evident on a night when there was no showboating.

Simply, he was unable to make a dent on the extraordinary Usyk.

Usyk’s performance confirmed his status as an all-time great and the 37-year-old will now look to become undisputed champion for the second time.

This will be by toppling International Boxing Federation, IBF, champion Daniel Dubois.

Fury entered the fight at a fully-clothed 20 stones 1lbs, almost four stones heavier than Usyk.

Right from the start he took to the centre of the ring, showing more intent to carry the fight to his opponent.

Towering over the champion, the Briton spat out his jab but he was also taking shots to the body.

By the second round he was being stalked around the ring by Usyk – a theme of the first fight.

The pace was being set by Usyk but both fighters were landing in a lively start to the clash with Fury’s jab causing problems.

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Usyk connected with two big left hands in a fourth round that ebbed and flowed and as the fight approached the halfway stage it was desperately close.

Fury staggered the Ukrainian with a short left uppercut and, having taken a flurry of blows to his body, he hit back with intent.

Unlike their first meeting which saw the Briton suffer the first loss of his career, there was no grandstanding from the challenger.

The fifth was the Gypsy King’s best round yet as he imposed his size and power, all while working behind his pinpoint jab.

But he was caught several times in the sixth.

Fury’s output began to drop and he was being driven backwards with Usyk’s left hand giving him plenty of problems.

It was relentless pressure from Usyk, who put together a lovely sequence of shots in the eighth and finished the three minutes by backing Fury up against the ropes.

The ninth round was the turning point in May when 36-year-old Fury was saved by the bell.

While those dramatics were missing this time, Usyk was showing similar purpose as he continued to build momentum.

He swarmed over the bigger man in the 10th, but also took shots himself.

As the last two rounds arrived, it was Fury who needed to do something special to catch the judges’ eyes.

A storming final round saw the rivals exchange blows with each having their moments in a high quality finish full of courage and skill.

Once again the judges were called upon to separate the two and there could be no complaints.

Usyk emerged a conclusive winner on each card to continue his reign as the division’s dominant force.

Source: dpa/NAN

The post Fury fails in revenge mission against Usyk appeared first on Frontpageng.

The 27-year-old dropped Joshua multiple times to retain the IBF heavyweight title and leave his domestic rival’s career in ruins.

Londoner Dubois stopped Joshua, 34, with an incredible counter right hook to secure the biggest win of his 24-fight career.

“Are you not entertained?” Dubois shouted post-fight, to huge cheers in the packed-out stadium.

“I’m a gladiator. I am a warrior to the bitter end. I want to get to the top level of this sport and reach my potential.”

Joshua’s bid to become a three-time champion and return to the division’s top table ended in the most dramatic and unexpected fashion.

AJ – who won his first world title more than eight years ago – suffered a fourth loss in his 32nd bout, but hinted he will continue in the sport and has a clause to trigger a rematch with Dubois.

“You know I’m ready to kick off in the ring but I’m going to keep it respectful,” he said.

“Before I came here, I always say to myself I’m a fighter for life. You keep rolling the dice.”

An ecstatic Dubois, meanwhile, enjoyed the crowning moment which had eluded him after he was elevated to world champion when Oleksandr Usyk vacated the belt.

Destructive Dubois starts and ends with a bang

Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher had already hyped up a lively crowd with a musical interlude before the main event – and Dubois soon proved to be a Rock ‘N’ Roll Star.

Despite being champion and going against tradition, he walked first to the ring to jeers as fireworks shot up above the iconic Wembley arches.

A sea of camera phones further illuminated the national stadium when fan-favourite Joshua – his eyes firmly focused on the ring – entered to a medley which started with the Godfather theme and ended with ‘War’ from Rocky IV.

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Only four of their 49 combined wins had gone the distance, and the expected early knockdown came in the first round from underdog Dubois when he connected with a devastating overhand right in the closing seconds.

Joshua slumped to the canvas and had still not recovered in the second.

Dubois did not take a backward step, stalking his opponent around the ring and finding success with his rod-like jab.

Perhaps Joshua was still haunted by those sparring stories from several years ago when Dubois reportedly rocked him.

The 2012 Olympic gold medallist was reeling in the third as his pumped-up opponent whipped in a left hook and Joshua appeared to touch the floor with his glove. It was not counted as a knockdown, but Dubois continued the assault until Joshua was floored again.

He was dropped twice more in the third, the second ruled a slip, but the writing was clearly on the wall.

Unified champion Usyk and Tyson Fury, who contest a rematch in December, watched on from ringside, scarcely believing how the fight was unfolding.

The chants of “AJ, AJ” had quietened.

After a closer fourth round, Joshua, for the first time in the fight, landed a clean punch in the fifth, only for it to spur Dubois into action.

A counter right-hand, a punch that will live forever in the memory of Dubois and all those in attendance, sent Joshua down for the final time.

The former poster boy of British boxing was left scrambling across the floor, desperately trying to get up, but unable to beat the count.

A ‘redemption story’ and new dawn for heavyweight division

After one of British boxing’s biggest shocks, Joshua’s future is under scrutiny, despite him suggesting he may continue in the sport.

The rebuild mission since losing a second consecutive fight to Usyk in 2022 was going smoothly, fuelled by a desire to join legends such as Muhammad Ali, Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis and Vitali Klitschko as a three-time champion.

But Joshua came up against a fearless and younger fighter determined to prove his worth on the world stage.

“I had a fast and sharp opponent, a lot of mistakes from my end,” he admitted afterwards.

The lure of the long-awaited and even longer-mooted super-fight with Fury also suffered a major blow, even if the ‘Gypsy King’ loses to Usyk in December’s world-title rematch.

Dubois’ future, in contrast, is gleaming brightly.

“I want to get to the top of this sport and reach my full potential,” he said.

His father, Stan, was in his corner and just like he did against Jarrell Miller and Filip Hrgovic, Dubois Sr willed his son into action from the opening bell.

While he is no stranger to high-pressure situations and large crowds, little could have prepared Dubois for such a momentous night on the grandest stage – and four years on from a loss to another Briton in Joe Joyce, when he suffered a fractured eye socket and was called a “quitter” for taking a knee when failing to beat the count.

Yet the Greenwich fighter revelled in the spotlight again on a night which has marked a new dawn for heavyweight boxing.

“I’ve been on a rollercoaster run, this is my time, this is my redemption story,” added Dubois.

Source: BBC

The post Dominant Dubois knocks Joshua out in epic Wembley clash appeared first on Frontpageng.

In 2008, a Russian giant Nikolai Valuev contested the WBA with Evander Holyfield and won.

He is 7ft tall and 310 pounds against Holyfield 6:3ft and about 194 pounds.

Valuev had no Holyfield’s skills but he was taller, bigger and much more younger. He was 35 while Holfield was 47; 11 years of age difference.

The Russian giant used his strength, longer reach and stature to dominate the Real Deal and went home with the belt.

Today, with his boxing skills, Tyson Fury, another giant, would have knocked out Valuev in round one. The British giant would have been too much for the Russian giant.

Unfortunately, they had come at different eras. However, one can liken Fury/Olysandr Usyk’s undisputed bout of May 19, 2024 to Holyfield/Valuev of 2008 by the size of the boxers in the contest.

Fury was about 262 pounds against Usyk 233 pounds. The Briton is 6.9ft against Usyk 6.3ft. Usyk is 37, Fury 35.

I had envisioned the Fury/Usyk undisputed bout to go like the Valuev/Holyfield’s but the Ukrainian changed everything in round seven.

At the break of round six, Usyk sat still in his corner and signalled for his crucifix.

It was a spiritual dialogue that would later change the course of the fight in round seven when his combinations of hooks staggered the Gypsy King and won the later  minutes by minutes for the Cat.

From then on, Usyk never gave Fury any breathing room. He punched the Briton until he fell in round nine when the referee and the bell eventually saved him from a technical knockout.

Of course, Usyk was due to win by knockout but one must commend the referee, Mark Nelson, who saw the situation clearer in the ring.

The zenith of a man’s career provides a glory a natural man cannot define by himself because it involves the supernatural, God.

Fury was defenceless after taking so many blows. His hands were down, his legs wobbly and could have landed on his head if Usyk was allowed to land the last blow.

It’s more dangerous for a tall man to fall than a short man.

At that level, using the phrase of Super Eagles legend, Mathematical Segun Odegbami on Ademola Lookman, I will also say that Usyk was in the territory of gods.

When things that you cannot explain just happen to catapult a man from the natural to the supernatural.

Odegbami said that Ademola found himself at a level he could not explain by himself when something propelled him to score a hat-trick at the Europa final for an underdog Atalanta against a formidable Bayern Leverkusen team.

For Usyk, the Ukrainian was set to land one of his best shot ever but the referee denied him, yet he got his victory via split decision.

The zenith of a man’s career provides a glory a natural man cannot define by himself because it involves the supernatural, God.

It happened in Zaire, the Rumble in the Jungle of 1974 when Muhammad Ali knocked out George Foreman in round eight. It was never predicted to happen that way.

The referee stopped the match, denying Ali his best shot of the night as Foreman was gradually going down. In one of his interviews, Foreman described Ali as a good man for not landing his last blow on his head. That may have ended Foreman’s career.

Ali, just like Usyk had the chance to land the punch on Fury but chose not to do so even though the referee had come in.

The two fights define the spirit of sportsmanship of these two great champions, their godly posture in the war of boxing and the territory they had found themselves at that hour. It was a holy hour, glory hour.

Will Fury/Usyk 2 happen? it’s not yet clear to me. If it happens this year, it may zeal Usyk’s hall of Famer status because this man is in the territory of the gods of boxing at present.

The post EXTRA: Usyk in territory of the gods appeared first on Frontpageng.

Former WBC heavyweight champion, Tyson Fury, was boastful before the match that he would erase the little man, the unified and current undisputed champion, Oleksandr Usyk, in the earlier rounds of the match.

Of course he did from the start but he soon lost his concentration to indiscipline, unprofessionalism as he took his game plan beyond boxing to drama. Fury played too much. He doesn’t know when to stop playing.

What nearly consumed him against Francis Ngannou, eventually did against the most talented in the division, Oleksandr Usyk.

Fury should be reminded that he is not Muhammad Ali and will never be. He met his match in Usyk and could not control the match anymore after the sixth round.

One had expected the Gypsy King to hit the opening flesh regularly instead he began to perform drama in the ring until Usyk caught up with him in round seven.

However, Usyk’s idea of boxing is spiritual and war. Before he stepped into the ring, the newly crowned undisputed heavyweight boxing champion, Oleksandr Usyk said a little but powerful prayer, “Oh Lord you are the one that has always led me where I go. In this match, give me victory if I deserve it.”

The Ukrainian never demanded victory from God, neither did he boast of defeating Fury, he only made a request, which God eventually granted him on a Sunday.

He took his time to fashion out the best time to hit Fury, teasing him with repeated jabs right from round seven. Usyk’s corner would have told him, he was losing five out of the six rounds and now Fury had started to do drama instead of boxing.

It is time to come out against Fury. He did and got the result.

After the match he said, “I have to go back home to meet my family and my church and thank Jesus who gave me victory and many people who have been praying for me. I love you.”

Usyk is spiritual as he is discipline. This does not mean that the former WBC belt holder, Tyson Fury is not spiritual, however his level of discipline has always been questionable.

Fury brought his ‘A” game on Saturday night, winning the first round, losing the second round and went on to win the third, fourth, fifth, sixth and 12 round.

In all, the Briton won six out of 12 but he lost the match in round nine due to his own indiscipline when he exposed himself to a two quick combination from Usyk that hurt him so badly. He lost his balance.

READ ALSO: EXTRA: Joshua can still win a belt, By Kunle Awosiyan

It was like a scene between Muhammad Ali and Ron Lyle, which ended in technical knockout for Ali.

For me, Saturday’s round nine was a stolen knockout from Usyk. The rope and the referee saved Fury from falling. It would have been difficult for him to beat the counts. He was injured with blood dripping from his nostrils.

I once wrote that the outcome of Saturday’s match would depend on the more professional and discipline of the two boxers.

Usyk’s corner knew that as the fight proceeded, Fury would lose concentration, which of course Usyk could capitalise on to finish the Gypsy King.

The Ukrainian has always been a disciplined personality in and out of the ring. This showed on Saturday after he lost 3,4,5,6 consecutively and realised he had to change the game.

He went on to win 7,8,9,10 and 11, capitalising on the indiscipline of the Fury to land some of his good shots that nearly earned him a technical knockout.

It was a close call and a split decision; 115-112,  113-114, 114-113 in favour of Usyk who was unmindful of a “stolen” knockout.

To Usyk, victory is victory no matter how it came but to Fury, it was an undeserved victory to the Ukrainian. Fury had the match in his hands and allowed it to slip away.

Fury said he was robbed so that the boxing world could  pacify Usyk over the ongoing Ukrainian and Russian war. He wanted the immediate activation of his rematch clause to be staged later this year.

I want to believe that the only man that can beat Usyk at present is still Fury but a more discipline Fury who will keep to his game plan as he did in the earlier rounds of the Saturday match when he fought from the outside.

For me, Saturday’s round nine was a stolen knockout from Usyk. The rope and the referee saved Fury from falling. It would have been difficult for him to beat the counts.

He threw a lot of jabs that rattled Usyk and refused to lean on the Ukrainian who was a bit slippery. Fury’s uppercut cut Usyk eyelid and destabilised the Cat earlier in the round.

One had expected the Gypsy King to hit the opening flesh regularly instead he began to perform drama in the ring until Usyk caught up with him in round seven.

I still believe that Usyk is beatable but who will beat him must train hard and  concentrate fully because the cat’s spirit inside Usyk is tough.

Congratulations to Oleksandr Usyk, the new undisputed heavyweight boxing champion of the world.

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