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After beating him twice, see why Usyk has double respect for Joshua.
Ukrainian professional boxer Oleksandr Usyk is set for his first fight in 2023.
Usyk is set for an undisputed heavyweight unification against English professional boxer Tyson Fury.
The Ukranian was last in action against English professional boxer of Nigerian descent Anthony Joshua in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
After 12 rounds of action, Usyk was able to get a split-decision victory against Joshua.
It was back-to-back victories for Usyk against Joshua after defeating the Watford man to claim the IBO, IBF, WBA, and WBO heavyweight titles in the first fight back in 2021.
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Why Usyk respects Joshua
Usyk ahead of his return to the ring has explained his relationship with Joshua.
Joshua after the second loss to Usyk got emotional and threw the belts out of the ring.
He apologized for his actions and later congratulated Usyk as a worthy winner.
Usyk in a recent interview with Parimatch explained that he has a great relationship with Joshua despite beating him twice.
He explained that Joshua called former heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko to ask how he can support Ukraine during their war.
Usyk said, “Anthony Joshua called Wladimir Klitschko and asked him how he could be useful to Ukraine and help.
“I have double respect for him for that.”
Usyk is not the only Ukrainian heavyweight to have a good relationship with Joshua.
Klitschko also praised Joshua after he suffered a loss to Andy Ruiz in the United States of America (USA).
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He said, “Joshua is a superior athlete, great fighter, Olympic champion.
“Most importantly, he’s a great guy, who carries the torch of this image of a heavyweight champion perfectly.
“I’m proud to call him as a friend, even though we were [combatants].”
Usyk is now set to face off against WBC heavyweight champion Fury in an undisputed fight scheduled for Saturday, April 29, 2023.
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