Anthony Joshua has harshly assessed his performance against Oleksandr Usyk in their rematch.
Too harshly, if you ask Eddie Hearn, the former IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion’s career-long promoter. Hearn sensed Joshua was in position to beat Usyk through nine rounds of their second bout, before Usyk’s strong showing in the championship rounds earned the undefeated Ukrainian southpaw a split-decision victory over the British superstar August 20 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Joshua beat Usyk on the card of American judge Glenn Feldman, who scored the 2012 Olympic gold medalist a 115-113 winner. Ukrainian judge Viktor Fesechko (116-112) and English judge Steve Gray (115-113) both scored their competitive fight for Usyk.
“I thought he performed very well against Usyk in the second fight,” Hearn told BoxingScene.com. “Still could’ve done more, but after nine rounds I think he’s winning the fight. And then Usyk closes out unbelievably and was brilliant. But he felt it was a disaster, and I keep saying to him, ‘You did all right. You lost 115-113 to pound-for-pound number one. Forget the first fight – tactics wrong. And you still could’ve done more.’ ”
Their second fight was more competitive than their initial bout, a 12-rounder Usyk won by unanimous decision in September 2021 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. Usyk won their first fight by scores of 117-112, 116-112 and 115-113.
Joshua (24-3, 22 KOs) parted ways with his longtime training team following his second straight points loss to Usyk (20-0, 13 KOs). The 33-year-old Joshua is working with respected American trainer Derrick James in Dallas for his fight against Jermaine Franklin (21-1, 14 KOs) on April 1 at O2 Arena in London.
Though there are questions Joshua will need to answer when he fights Franklin, Hearn believes he remains an elite-level heavyweight.
“I still see him as a top-three heavyweight,” Hearn said. “If you put [Deontay] Wilder in that mix as well, top four. Because it really is Fury, AJ, Usyk and Wilder. You’ve got Joe Joyce, who could be in that mix. But his best win is Joseph Parker. So, we’ve still gotta see. But AJ, don’t be harsh on yourself. You’re still one of the best in the world. But he doesn’t wanna be one of the best in the world, he wants to be the best. And we’ll see where he’s at against Franklin.”
The 29-year-old Franklin tested Dillian Whyte in his last fight, which Whyte (29-3, 19 KOs) won by majority decision November 26 at OVO Arena Wembley in London. Despite Franklin’s performance that night, Joshua has opened as at least a 10-1 favorite over him, according to most sportsbooks.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.