OLEKSANDR USAYK has jumped to the defense of Anthony Joshua, insisting that the Brit put in a "brilliant" performance in their Tottenham duel.
With a masterclass in boxing at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last week, Usyk, a southpaw, ripped Joshua's unified heavyweight titles.
Oleksandr Usyk took the unified heavyweight titles out of Anthony Joshua's hands last month
Joshua, 32, was mocked for trying to outfox the wily Usyk. However, the Ukrainian believes that AJ has been unfairly criticised.
DAZN was informed by him: "It is unfortunate that they are being harsh about Joshua's performance. I was there in ring with them and he was very talented.
"I don't know where they find criticism. It was a great fight.
"I am currently preparing for another difficult match against him next season and I will need be at my very best to keep my championships."
Joshua and Uysk will renew their rivalry in the early part of next year, but a date has not been set.
Joshua was urged by Rob McCraken to fire him as his head coach for the fight.
Free Bets: Get more than PS2,000 in NEW CUSTOMER DEALSThe prospect of facing a new, improved AJ does not intimidate the ex-undisputed cruiserweight king.
He stated that he was not certain who would train Joshua for the rematch.
"I've seen speculation about the next year's hires, but it doesn't matter to us who he trains.
"Our goal is not to be ready for anything, and I train to improve myself, not to copy my opponent."
"He also promised to become more aggressive and more dangerous in the rematch.
If that's the case, awesome. That Joshua side would be great. It will be another great fight, I'm sure."
Joshua is determined to win the battle with Usyk, and avenge his second professional defeat. He told iFL TV: "I'm done losing."
"I'm done trying to learn sweet science. Because this is war, [Usyk] may be thrown to the floor during the next fight.
He said, "I'm going into my 12th World Title fight now and all the learning has been done. It's over. It's not war.
"I am annoyed. It's enough to make me boil just by thinking about it."
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