"Massive support from his Ukrainian compatriots" - Oleksandr Usyk's team reveals why they left Ukraine to fight Anthony Joshua
Oleksandr Usyk's team has revealed why they left Ukraine to defend his heavyweight titles. Usyk returned to Ukraine earlier this year to serve and fight for his country against the Russian invasion. When Russia decided to invade Ukraine, 'The Cat' along with Vasyl Lomachenko decided to go back to their country and enlist in the army. However, the heavyweight champion left his country to defend his titles.
He is currently set to fight Anthony Joshua on August 20 at the Jeddah Superdome in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. In their final press conference ahead of their fight, Usyk's manager Alexander Krassyuk explained why they left Ukraine:
"So he made his decision to take the rematch in these circumstances after he had received a massive support from his Ukrainian compatriots. He was in touch with high rank military officers. He visited the hospitals with injured combatants. He was in touch with common fans and every conversation he heard words of support and blessing to take the rematch. So people wanted him to fight, people still want him to win, people want the Ukrainian flag to be raised."
Oleksandr Usyk moved up from the cruiserweight division after becoming the undisputed champion. 'The Cat' wanted to become undisputed in two different weight classes. On August 20 he will look to defend his heavyweight titles for the first time.
Watch the video uploaded by Sky Sports Boxing below:
Team Usyk on why they decided to take the rematch with Anthony Joshua despite the war in Ukraine. https://t.co/WXXdjOWsjU
Anthony Joshua says he did not want to hurt Oleksandr Usyk in their first fight
Anthony Joshua revealed that he did not want to 'hurt' or knock out the Ukrainian in their first fight. Joshua was aware that Usyk was a very technical fighter who is used to dragging fights into the later round. 'AJ' was prepared to go all 12 rounds against 'The Cat' which is why he held back in their first fight. Here's what he had to say per Michael Benson:
"It sounds crazy, but I'm not going to lie - my objective was never to hurt him. My aim was to go the full 12 and prove I could box as well as he does. But I didn't work hard enough to prepare for a 12-round fight at that pace." [h/t Michael Benson]
This time around, 'AJ' will look to take a more offensive approach against Oleksandr Usyk. He hired Robert Garcia as his new head coach for this very reason. Joshua looks extremely confident and in great shape ahead of the reamatch.
Take a look at the tweet by Michael Benson:
Anthony Joshua on the Oleksandr Usyk first fight: "It sounds crazy, but I'm not going to lie - my objective was never to hurt him. My aim was to go the full 12 and prove I could box as well as he does. But I didn't work hard enough to prepare for a 12-round fight at that pace."