Ukrainian fighter Alexandr Usyk shook the world of boxing for the second time recently. His performance against one of the best cruiserweights in modern sports impressed anyone who witnessed it. But how does he manage to pull out such a good fight, considering he is a newbie in the cruiserweights?
We will try to define the factors of his success in this article by analyzing his matches against Anthony Joshua.
1. Lesser weight – more stamina
If you have watched pre-fight weight-ins, you should remember that Joshua was 10 kg heavier than Usyk. Inexperienced boxing fans might think that this factor works against the champion, but in reality, it is the opposite. Being 10 kg lighter helped the Usyk to “outbreathe” his opponent, staying much more shifty and agile till the final rounds.
2. Usyk forced an opponent to play by his rules
If you track the world of boxing, you should know that Joshua’s performance style is completely different from what is shown by the Usyk. While Joshua’s main objective is to catch the right moment to land a heavy punch (hopefully turning the opponent’s lights off), Usyk wants to outbox his rival.
These two boxing styles create a very interesting match-up that puts both fighters’ skills to a tough test. Thus, a heavy knockout boxer tries to catch a slippery athlete off guard, while the second one throws countless punches at the opponent.
Those conditions force Joshua to get out of his defensive stance and take risks to try to get the Usyk down, but it opens up windows of attack for the Alexandr. In other words, if Anthony doesn’t take down the Ukrainian fighter till the twelve rounds, he will probably lose as an outboxed opponent.
3. A burden that left no choice but to win
While the Usyk vs. Joshua fight is conducted, the Ukrainian people are going through a major struggle, featuring an armed conflict. As a Ukrainian, Usyk feels that it is his duty to show the courage and resilience of his nation by winning such an important fight.
Such duties are extremely important factors that can help fighters to see the light, even when the darkness crawls to their feet. Usyk definitely felt like there was no way for him to leave the Saudi Arabian Boxing Arena but as a winner.
And you can even see the struggles in the ninth round when Usyk was getting punched heavy, and he didn’t surrender. Instead, he went to his corner, listened to his and his nation’s spirit, and went back into the arena like a real champ.
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