Oleksandr Usyk had Anthony Joshua on the ropes in the final round of a 12-round thriller on Saturday night at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, leaving many fans divided over whether the Brit is ready to take on either of Deontay Wilder or Tyson Fury.
A video has emerged on Twitter showing Usyk’s relentless final round pummelling over the British boxer, which saw Joshua get handed the second loss of his boxing career.
Sharing the video online, boxing fan @Sharonpapers was adamant that Joshua wasn’t prepared to face Deontay Wilder, stating: “I don't think this guy is ready to face our beast Deontay Wilder. Who is with me? Team Deontay."
With 22 seconds left on the clock, the video shows the Ukrainian fighter unleash a lethal flurry of punches on the former unified heavyweight champion in hopes he could score a big knockout late on in the fight.
The Ukrainian won via unanimous decision in the end, with scores of 117-112, 116-112 and 115-113, while landing a whopping 23 punches on the British fighter in the final round of the fight.
Usyk unsettled Joshua, connecting a strong left-hook and right-hand combination, forcing the British fighter onto the back foot, dropping his guard at the same time.
The Ukrainian then advanced and unleashed a barrage of relentless uppercuts, hooks and power swings that staggered Joshua back onto the ropes before the Brit was saved by the final bell.
Usyk later admitted in his post-fight press conference that it wasn’t his intention to score a knockout on AJ, despite having previously knocked out 13 of his opponents in his 19-0 fight career.
The new unified heavyweight champion said: "I had no objective to knock him out because my corner pushed me not to do that. In the beginning, I tried to hit him hard, but then I stuck to my job.
“This means a lot for me. The fight went the way I expected it to go. There were moments when Anthony pushed me hard, but it was nothing special.”
AJ will now move to a fight record of 24-2, and despite speculation from fans on social media, the former heavyweight champion still has his eyes firmly on a fight with Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder, with or without his IBF, WBO and WBA heavyweight titles.
In his post-fight press conference, Joshua said: “I’d fight Tyson Fury, Wilder and whatnot without the belts.
“The belts are fun, it’s great, it’s legacy, but with or without the belts, I’ll fight whoever.”
Joshua also confirmed he would be activating his rematch clause against Usyk to try and regain his heavyweight titles, with Eddie Hearn suggesting the bout could take place in February or March 2022.
But it seems Wilder and Fury are still on AJ’s agenda, with a fight against the Gypsy King or Bronze Bomber potentially able to take place this time next year.
Speaking on the possibility of that fight, Joshua said: “The road to undisputed is a nice title to have and a nice title to chase, but would you still watch it without the belts?
“That’s the main thing, you’ve got two competitive fighters in the ring, from UK soil that just want to go toe-to-toe.”