Anthony Joshua’s class has shone through after a conversation between him and Oleksandr Usyk was revealed from last week’s face-off. The pair met for the first time since their fight in September at Thursday’s press event ahead of their rematch on August 20 and there was plenty of respect shown.
After a photo call and stare down in front of the Red Sea, AJ turned to his adversary to exchange a heartfelt message. Joshua asked Usyk: “How’s your family?” Before Usyk replied: “Good.” As they shook hands, AJ added: “Everything in Ukraine – keep your head up, yeah?”
Moments before the face-off both men attended a press conference to share their thoughts on the rematch. During which Joshua gave a brutally honest assessment of his last performance. “Definitely the hunger is still there. Blips happen, things happen in life, but resilience, mental toughness and consistency will always prevail,” Joshua said.
“We’re still on the road to undisputed for sure. God willing, I’ll perform, and I’ll become three-time heavyweight champion of the world. With Andy Ruiz, I think a lot of people could see before the fight that things weren’t 100 per cent [with me].
“But we take our loss like a man; if you lose, you have to stay humble. I knew I could come back again and do what I have to do. The fight with Usyk, he bust my a** for some rounds! And I have to take that defeat like a man as well, I have to be accountable.
“In the fight in September, I was wrong and he was right. Simply I have to reverse that role in August. I don’t like to overcomplicate the situation, because there’s simplicity in genius. I’m just gonna keep things simple. I respect him and his craft, and what he’s achieved.
“If I’m around someone that’s better than me on the night, I have to push myself to be better than them. That’s all it’s done really, and thankfully I’ve got a second chance. “If you know my story, you know I’m the comeback king. You can put me down, but it’s difficult to keep me down.”
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For a while, there were doubts as to whether the fight would ever happen with Russia invading Ukraine. Usyk returned home to defend his country in early 2022 and there were rumours that AJ would look elsewhere in the interim. However, the former undisputed cruiserweight champion opted to return to camp and train for the blockbuster heavyweight showdown.
The rematch is now set to take place on August 20 at the Jeddah Superdome in Saudi Arabia. Usyk will be defending the IBF, WBA ‘super’, and WBO titles he secured in his original contest against Joshua.