Dylan Bettencourt
Anthony Joshua has come under fire for his outlandish speech after losing the world heavyweight title fight to Oleksandr Usyk – but some of what he said hit the mark.
The British boxer said some embarrassing things when he angrily took the microphone after his defeat on Saturday, but he did make one point that perhaps resonated.
Joshua pointed out that all of Ukraine’s four major world champions held their titles while the country went through periods of unrest.
“I was studying Ukraine and all of the champions that have come from your amazing country. I’ve never been there but at the same time what’s happening there is not nice,” Joshua said.
“I saw it with [Vasily] Lomachenko in your second fight with Orlando [Salido] there was unrest in Ukraine. Vitali Klitschko when he faced Danny Williams, civil unrest. Under these circumstances, Usyk has managed to become champion.”
The older of the Klitschko brothers, Vitali, defeated Williams through a technical knockout in 2004 to defend his title while the Orange Revolution was taking place back home.
The protests that took place over a three-month period from November 2004 until January the next year were sparked following a presidential election.
Angry residents felt the elections were spoiled by massive corruption, voter intimidation and electoral fraud.
A decade later, Wladimir Klitschko and Lomachenko were world champions during the war between Russia and Ukraine over Crimea.
In February 2014 Russia invaded and subsequently annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine. It has been under Russian rule since.
This event took place in the aftermath of the Revolution of Dignity and is part of the wider Russo-Ukrainian War that saw President Viktor Yanukovych of Ukraine ousted.
Eight years later, Usyk became heavyweight champion in London after defeating Joshua last September.
Although he did not win the belts during Ukraine’s struggles, he retained them on Saturday night despite serving in the army only months ago.
A clearly emotional Usyk showed just how much this victory meant for his country which was invaded by Russia in February.
Six months later and the war between Russia and Ukraine remains devastating with no clear end in the near future.
Before throwing two of Usyk’s belts out of the ring in frustration, Joshua raised the Ukrainian flag with the champion. Let the fight be remembered for that gesture, and not for the British fighter’s ill-judged rant.
Image source: @SouthChinaMorningPost
