Canelo Alvarez believes that Oleksandr Usyk's generational greatness was the deciding factor in his recent battle with Anthony Joshua.
The heavyweight duo faced off for a second time earlier this month in Saudi Arabia, with Joshua showing a much improved performance from his last outing against the Ukrainian. Unfortunately for the Brit, however, Usyk was able to move through the gears and hold off his attacks in a dominant performance that saw him retain the unified world titles.
Joshua didn't cover himself in glory immediately after the fight, but did impress during it with a far better showing than their first meeting where he never got going and ultimately was dethroned as champion for a second time. And Alvarez believes that he did well on the night, even though it wasn't enough to make him a three-time title holder.
"He looked good," Alvarez told media at an open workout ahead of his trilogy with Gennady Golovkin. "Usyk is just a great fighter, he's a great fighter and I think that's the difference."
However, the legendary Mexican fighter believes that Usyk will not be able to recreate that same style against Tyson Fury if the pair are to clash later this year. Alvarez thinks that Fury's boxing skills coupled with his massive seven-inch reach advantage and half-a-foot in height will make for a different type of fight, which the Manchester native can win.
"I don't think ," he responded when asked if he feels that Usyk can use the same tactics against Fury. "I think it will be a good fight but I think Fury is going to win. He has everything; the boxing skills, the weight so it's going to be different."
What did you make of Anthony Joshua's performance against Oleksandr Usyk? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
Alvarez is currently finishing up camp for his trilogy with Golovkin, which takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on September 17 . He is currently ahead in the feud with one win and one draw, but both results were very contentious and there are multiple schools of thought as to who is the better fighter.
Most recently, Alvarez attempted to once again become world champion at light-heavyweight, but was unable to get past Dmitry Bivol, who used his size to win a decision in their meeting back in May. Meanwhile, Golovkin has struggled to reproduce his best form in recent years, but fancies his chances at super-middleweight against his long-time rival.
Meanwhile, Joshua has insisted that he will continue fighting, and will stick with Robert Garcia as his trainer going forward. He has a number of big fights still available for him after signing a big money broadcast deal with DAZN for the rest of his career.
