Anthony Joshua Wins Oleksandr Usyk Defeats Tyson Fury

JAKARTA Former world heavyweight champion twice, Anthony Joshua, outperformed Oleksandr Usyk while in the ring for the undisputed heavyweight champion fight against Tyson Fury.

Usyk and Fury are scheduled to enter the ring on February 17, 2024 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The two fighters will try to unite all WBO, IBF, IBO, WBA, and WBC heavyweight title belts.

Joshua said that he outperformed Usyk because of several considerations. One of them is the support team owned by the Ukrainian fighter.

"I really want to be here for the (watching) match. Usyk is a phenomenal fighter and has a great team around him. He has a very good team," Joshua was quoted as saying by Boxing Scene.

Fury is widely considered a favorite against Usyk. However, his recent appearance has changed some perceptions about the fight.

The performance in question is against former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, in October 2023. At that time, Fury was favored because both of them fought in boxing rules.

Ngannou, who had just made his boxing debut, managed to make a surprise in the ring. He managed to hit Fury in the third round.

Fury was later named the winner of the fight through separate decisions. The victory left controversy because Ngannou was considered more worthy of winning.

Joshua said that Usyk had all the ability to stop Fury despite Fury's last appearance in the cross-discipline match.

"After being in the ring with him and studying it, I think he (Usyk) will win. Maybe my experience seeing his abilities in the ring. I think that is his best ability," said Joshua.

Usyk has only had one fight every year since 2019. Finally, he fought this year while securing a knockout victory over Daniel Dubois in August 2023 in Poland.

Meanwhile, Fury has been in the ring seven times since 2019. Against Ngannou was his last and only fight this year.