Oleksandr Usyk says all he needed was ‘another 30 seconds’ to knock down Anthony Joshua in warning ahead of rematch
OLEKSANDR USYK warned he was under a minute away from sending Anthony Joshua to the canvas.
Joshua was largely dominated by Usyk last September and endured a particularly nervy end to the fight.
Towards the closing stages of the 12th and final round, an exhausted AJ only just about escaped on his feet to hear the bell.
Ahead of their rematch on August 20 in Saudi Arabia, Usyk claimed he was just moments away from flooring Joshua.
He told Parimatch: “Perhaps if there were another 30 seconds or another minute in the 12th round, Anthony would have been knocked down.
“But I don’t think about it any more because it’s just guessing. It happened as it happened. I boxed 12 rounds and I won.”
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Joshua, 32, has moved training camps since the loss, replacing long-time coach Rob McCracken with American Robert Garcia.
AJ completed much of his camp as assistant trainer Angel Fernandez’s base in Loughborough.
Joshua then flew over to Saudi a month before the fight of his life, while Usyk situated himself in Dubai.
The current champion said: “Anthony Joshua is a strong guy and a strong boxer, and he cannot be written off in any way.
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“In the rematch, he will be different. He will prepare differently. I will do that too.”
Usyk added: “I am confident in what I am doing and that I do my job to the fullest. But to be 100 per cent sure about something like that?
“I don’t know. But I know what I do. I work, I box, and victory is given by the Lord.”
AJ vs Usyk 2 date, live stream and TV channel for blockbuster rematch