Oleksandr Usyk, Anthony Joshua Face Off Ahead Of August Rematch

Boxing fans got to see Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua together again after nearly of year of one of boxing’s biggest upsets of 2021.

Usyk and Joshua kicked off their rematch announcement with a press conference in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.

“The fight with Usyk, he bust my a–,” Joshua laughed. “I have to take that defeat like a man as well. I hold myself accountable… I simply have to reverse that [on] August 20.”

Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua share a long and intense first face-off ahead of their rematch on Aug 20th…

[📽️ @MatchroomBoxing] pic.twitter.com/kXyEHck8os

— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) June 21, 2022

With a subtle Ukrainian flag on his bucket hat, Usyk seemed unphased. He had been training after being granted to leave his war-torn country of Ukraine a few months ago.

“I never made some very loud and bright speeches. Just work hard in my training camp and gym,” Usyk said through a translator.

But the tension didn’t hit until their first face-off.

Standing about arms’ length apart, Usyk and Joshua locked eyes with one another and never looked away – hardly even blinking.

When told to face the audience, Usyk turned his body, but never averted his eyes from Joshua. And the latter did the same.

Commentors on the streamed press conference said that the face-off made them even more excited for the rematch.

Usyk had upset Joshua in September of 2021 by defeating Joshua via unanimous decision and taking away his unified heavyweight titles.

The showdown will happen on August 20 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.