Boxing
How Anthony Joshua was battered, out-boxed and outfoxed
In the final seconds of the fight that had humbled him, Anthony Joshua’s giant frame sagged against the ropes in front of the ringside rows of celebrities who had come to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to acclaim him.
He had no answer to Oleksandr Usyk any more and he knew it. He stood there, offering nothing in return, as his opponent’s blows rained down on him.
Usyk knew it was nearly over, too. The Ukrainian had heard the tapping that signals there are only 10 seconds of the round remaining.
And so in the end, he stopped throwing punches and stood there, stock-still, in front of the man he had beaten, not willing and not needing to impose any more punishment upon him. And then the bell sounded.
Joshua smiled weakly and waved his gloved hand in the air in a gesture of triumph. By then, his right eye was badly swollen so that he could barely see out of it.
It had been like that for several rounds. Usyk, a former cruiserweight champion who had only fought twice at heavyweight before Saturday night, might not have had the power to knock him out but he had hurt him badly. He had punished him relentlessly.
Joshua knew he had been beaten, too, by then but he had salvaged something. In front of 67,000 people, he had lost but he had not yielded.
It felt like the scene in Raging Bull when Jake La Motta, played by Robert de Niro, wraps his hands around the ropes as he stands with his back to them so that he will not fall under the barrage of punches from Sugar Ray Robinson.
In the end, La Motta is spared from the onslaught by the referee and as Robinson walks away, La Motta stares after him through unseeing eyes. ‘You never put me down, Ray,’ he shouts out. ‘You never put me down.’ It was not much of a consolation but it was something. And that was how it was on Saturday night. It was just about the only thing Joshua had left.
Because he has lost a lot. He has lost the three versions of the world heavyweight title that he held and he has probably lost the prospect of ever fighting Tyson Fury in the showdown that the sporting world has wanted to see for the last three years and which would have brought the two combatants an estimated £200m. All that has gone.
And there is more. Joshua has lost his reputation. Not his courage or his bravery because that was more evident than it ever has been on Saturday night as he fought on against an opponent whose superior skills he had no answer to.
He fought on even when he knew it was hopeless and that he had been outclassed.
But he has lost his reputation in so far that Usyk looked in a different league to him. Usyk made him look ordinary. He made him look limited. He made him look like the fighter his detractors have always claimed that he is: a big puncher but not a natural talent like Usyk or Fury.
A fighter who has been manufactured and finds it hard to adapt and innovate. Joshua is only 31 and he is supposed to have a rematch clause but would he really want to fight Usyk again after this? It is hard to imagine so.
In that way, Saturday night’s defeat hurts him more than the defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr at Madison Square Garden in New York hurt him two years ago.
It was written off as a fluke and an aberration and Joshua avenged it in the rematch in Saudi Arabia soon afterwards. It was something that could be forgotten about. But nobody will forget this or the manner of this.
That is another reason why the fight with Fury may never happen. If Joshua can be so badly outclassed by a clever fighter like Usyk, then the odds are he will be outclassed by a clever fighter like Fury, too.
The manner of his demolition on Saturday night has taken away much of the mystery of Joshua-Fury. This was like watching the end of a film before watching the start. We know what would happen now.
How strange it seems now that Joshua was the picture of calm as he walked to the ring, sparring playfully with a security guard, high-fiving fans, shadow boxing as fireworks exploded and dancing to his entrance music before he climbed through the ropes to where Usyk was waiting.
The champion towered above the challenger, a reminder he had the advantage in power and reach as well as height.
When the contest started, Joshua’s nonchalance disappeared. He gave Usyk all the respect he deserved in the first round and the two men barely laid a glove on each other.
In the second, Joshua did catch his opponent with a left hook to the side of the face but Usyk rode it easily. The challenger looked lithe and comfortable, his footwork keeping him out of Joshua’s range.
The fight exploded into life in the third round when Usyk caught Joshua flush on the jaw with a slamming left hook that shook the champion.
In the fourth, Usyk rocked Joshua’s head back again with a stiff right jab. Usyk’s movement was more dynamic and Joshua’s own jab lacked conviction. Time and again in the fifth round, Joshua threw and missed.
There were traces in Joshua’s countenance of the bewildered look he wore during his defeat to Ruiz in New York but he did rock Usyk back on his heels with a solid straight right in the sixth round that snapped the challenger’s head back.
But by the seventh, Joshua was starting to look one-paced and predictable and he stumbled backwards when Usyk caught him flush with a darting left hook.
By the end of the eighth, it was obvious Joshua was being outclassed. He still carried the threat of his devastating right hand but Usyk was outboxing him.
That feeling continued through the ninth round and in the tenth Joshua was cut under his right eye and swelling starting to obscure his vision. Usyk sensed his chance but Joshua dug in courageously and took the fight back to Usyk.
Joshua desperately tried to unload his right hand but in the eleventh, it was Usyk who caught him again and again with the left.
The final round was the same. And so Joshua stood there and took everything that Usyk threw at him and he refused to buckle. He never put him down and in the midst of his humbling, it is hard to begrudge him that.
-Daily Mail
The body of Segun Olanrewaju, the Nigerian boxer who slumped and died in the ring in Ghana on Saturday is still in a mortuary in Ghana. The President of the Nigerian Boxing Board of Control (NBB of C), Dr Rafiu Oladipo, informed Sports Village Square that an autopsy will be conducted on Wednesday.
He said that the NBB of C is closely monitoring the events in Ghana, even as the Director General of the National Sports Commission, Bukola Olopade has asked for updates on the sad incident.
On Monday, a delegation of the NBB of C visited the family of the late boxer in Sango Otta in Ogun State. Oladipo said he was still in shock at the death of the boxer who he considered fit having fought last December 29.
He revealed that one of the members of the Nigerian delegation to Ghana stayed behind to follow up on the autopsy.
He narrated that the late boxer took part on Thursday in the mandatory weigh-in which is normally conducted 24 hours before a fight. Additionally, a medical check-up is also to be conducted.
“But in this instance, there was no medical check. On this ground, Oladipo blamed the Ghana Boxing Authority.
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BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Like every human endeavour, sports have had an ample share of dreadful incidents. The latest is the death of a Nigerian boxer, Segun Olanrewaju over the weekend in Ghana.
The sad incident points to the risk attendant to boxing which in other climes, is a short route to wealth. Every time a boxer steps into the ring, his life is often at risk.
The boxing rings have recorded a lot of casualties. An estimated 1,604 boxers are believed to have died as a result of injuries sustained in the ring.
Nigeria too, contributed to the sad episode.
1. Homicide Ilori (vs Eddie Phillips, 26 June 1953)
On 26 June 1953, in a lightweight boxing contest between Homicide Ilori and Eddie Philips in Lagos, Ilori was knocked down in the fourth of an eight-round fight.
He was aided out of the ring with some assistance and later complained of feeling “exhausted.” He was taken to Lagos’ General Hospital by Jack Farnsworth, secretary of the Nigerian Boxing Board of Control, where he died of his injuries at 3:30 am.
This made the front page of Lagos’ newspapers, including a picture of a knocked-out and dazed Ilori on the canvas with the headline “The Last Punch.”
Another newspaper in Australia, Daily Mirror in Sydney reported that Ilori was the third boxer to die in Lagos in the previous 18 months.
Eddie Phillips, the boxer who knocked out Ilori, who was only 19 at the time, decided to
retire; stating ‘I will never wear the gloves again in my life.’” He would eventually return to the ring and fight again.
2. Asimi Mustapha a.k.a Young Ali (vs Barry McGuigan, 14 June 1982)
A Nigerian boxer, Asimi Mustapha whose ring name was ‘Young Ali’ fought an Irishman, Barry McGuigan, who knocked him down in the sixth round. He fell into a coma in London after being stretchered out of the ring.
Nigeria’s Asimi Mustapha, aka Young Ali (right) in the ill-fated fight with Irish Barry McGuigan.
He was placed on a life support machine but would later pass away at his home, being survived by his then-pregnant wife.
3. Nojim Gbadegesin (vs Kelvin Onwudiwe, 28 September 1991)
Nojim Gbadegesin, Nigerian flyweight boxer died after suffering a brain injury in his second professional fight. The 27-year-old customs worker, went into a coma after he was knocked down by fellow Nigerian Kelvin Onwudiwe in the sixth round. He died in the hospital in Lagos.
4. Chukwuemeka Igboanugo (v Prince Gaby Amagor, 6 December 2022)
At the National Sports Festival in Asaba, Chukwuemekka Igboanugo of Imo State received a punch in the chin in the bout with Prince Gaby Amagor of Anambra State. He suffered a technical knockout.
After being knocked out, Igboanugo collapsed while attempting to leave the ring. He was immediately taken out of the ring for medical treatment before being rushed to the hospital. Despite immediate medical attention, he was pronounced dead, with officials suggesting underlying health conditions may have contributed to his death.
5. Sherif Lawal (v Malam Varela, 12 May 2024)
London-based boxer Sherif Lawal died after he collapsed in the ring during his professional debut.
Sheriff Lawal died during his first professional fight.
The 29-year-old was knocked down by Portuguese opponent Malam Varela in the fourth round of a middleweight bout at Harrow Leisure Centre.
Lawal received treatment from paramedics at the scene and was taken to hospital but later pronounced dead.
The British Boxing Board of Control said in a statement: “Condolences to the family of Sherif Lawal following his tragic passing.
“The thoughts of all those involved in boxing in Great Britain are with them at this difficult time.”
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Boxing
Trump, Tyson, Magic Johnson others react to the death of former world heavyweight boxing champion George Foreman
Following are quotes and reactions to the death of American Olympic champion and twice heavyweight boxing champion George Foreman, who died on Friday at age 76 in Houston, Texas.
U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP
“George Foreman is dead. What a GREAT FIGHTER!!! He had, without question, the heaviest and biggest punch in the history of boxing.
“With the exception of Ali, when you got hit, you went down. He was something really special, but above all, he was a Great Person, with a personality that was bigger than life. I knew him well, and he will be missed. Warmest condolences to his wonderful family!!!”
BILLIE JEAN KING, 39-TIME GRAND SLAM TENNIS CHAMPION
“Sad to learn that 2x heavyweight champion boxer, Olympic Gold medalist, and entrepreneur George Forman has passed away. He was a great champion and a good friend.
“He bet on me in the Battle of the Sexes, and acted as a bodyguard to help me after the match when the crowds stormed the court. Our condolences to his family. May he rest in power.”
MIKE TYSON, TWICE HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING CHAMPION
“Condolences to George Foreman’s family. His contribution to boxing and beyond will never be forgotten.”
MAGIC JOHNSON, FIVE-TIMES NBA CHAMPION
“I attended so many of George’s championship fights over his career. He was a knockout artist in the ring, and it was a pleasure getting to know him not only as a boxer but as a man.
“After leaving the ring, he turned into an amazing businessman — I even bought one of the first George Foreman grills! Cookie and I will be praying for his family during this time.”
BOB ARUM, AMERICAN BOXING PROMOTER
“George was a great friend to not only myself but to my entire family. We’ve lost a family member and are absolutely devastated.”
FRANK WARREN, BRITISH BOXING PROMOTER
“I remember in 1990, I brought him over here to London and promoted him here on his comeback trail. He was a joy to work with – he was a fabulous guy. Very, very humble in the way he was, had a lot of time for people. And he was a great fighter.
“He was part of that holy trinity of heavyweight boxers, with Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier.
“The great fights they had between them were special times for boxing and world sport. They’re events that have gone down as not just boxing, but significant moments in the world of sport.”
WORLD BOXING COUNCIL PRESIDENT MAURICIO SULAIMAN
“I was honoured to present George Foreman the WBC Boxing green belt which my father Jose Sulaiman had ready and was in a drawer for more than 30 years.
“Legendary boxing champion, life-changing preacher, Husband, father, grand and great grandfather and the best friend you could have. His memory is now eternal, may Big George rest in peace.”
MICHAEL BUFFER, BOXING RING ANNOUNCER
“I’m totally heartbroken with the news of my dear friend of more than 35 years George Foreman passing away. I’m finding it difficult to deal with. I’ll collect my thoughts and have more to say soon about a man that I (and so many others) loved and respected.”
FRANK BRUNO, BRITISH FORMER HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING CHAMPION
“RIP George Foreman… we sparred on a couple of training sessions and I could not believe how strong he was.
“Many have their opinions of some of the top heavyweights ever but for me, he is certainly in the top group. To be a World champion in two different eras tells you how good he was… sad day for world boxing, a true legend.”
HOUSTON MAYOR JOHN WHITMIRE
“George’s journey from the streets of Fifth Ward to boxing and business success was an inspiration.
“He never forgot where he came from … Houston will forever be proud to call George Foreman one of our own.”
-Reuters
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