Oleksandr Usyk was surprised that Anthony Joshua approached their second world heavyweight title fight with what he believed to be a 'one-punch' strategy.
The unified heavyweight champion had comfortably beaten Joshua the first time they met at Tottenham Hotspur stadium in September of last year, and was expecting a new challenge in their rematch a year later. The Brit had overhauled his training regime with a new head coach and venue in order to make sure the result was different after stewing on the loss for around a year.
However, it was ultimately for nought as Joshua performed better, but not well enough, when the pair squared off in Saudi Arabia last month. Usyk believes that the issue his rival found was attempting to finish him with a single shot instead of pressuring him against the ropes and attempting to have success with volume.
"He was really well-trained," Usyk said in an interview with Parimatch. "But for some reason he focused on delivering one heavy punch. During the ninth round he had successful combinations and I admit I didn't manage to dodge some of them. Yes, he was better prepared for the rematch if we compare it with the first bout.
"He was better co-ordinated this time, kept his arms in a better way, he didn't react to all of my attempts to draw him out for a mistake. He was better prepared this time generally speaking. I can't say for sure, but the eighth round was kind of restorative as I felt it."
There were moments of success for Joshua, including finally feeling the results of a fight loaded with body work in the ninth when he nearly folded Usyk. However, the Ukrainian powered through and managed to battle on and win later rounds, ultimately earning him the fight.
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"At the end of the ninth round I was hit and then these lengthy series, I got through them," Usyk explained. "And then I prayed. That's it - the ninth round when I got punched and Anthony was trying to apply pressure on me was exactly the point of the most powerful self-talk.
"I told myself 'this victory is not mine, it's a victory of lots of other people who really want it and need it,' even just a little, the truly needed it. I told myself 'Saha, keep going! You should counterpunch, otherwise the referee might stop the fight."
Usyk was likely referring to the people of Ukraine who were able to watch for free as a gift from Saudi Arabian officials who held the international broadcast rights. He had been fighting on the front lines during the Russian invasion of his home country earlier in the year, and was keen not to lose after such a tumultuous few months.
