For weeks there have been stories about the “new” Anthony Joshua. About his new trainer, or trainers, with Robert Garcia and Angel Fernandez taking the reigns from Rob McCracken. About Joshua’s new mindset, specifically his insistence that he would smash—Joshua’s word, not ours—Oleksandr Usyk in the rematch.
Turns out, Usyk-Joshua II looked a lot like the original.
Usyk was, well, Usyk. His head movement was excellent. His footwork was brilliant. His defense, particularly when it came to slipping Joshua’s punches, was on point. He got in trouble in the ninth round, when a Joshua body attack put him on the run, but he recovered with a dominant tenth, where he battered Joshua with slashing left hands.