Anthony Joshua was ‘gun shy’ in loss to Usyk, says British heavyweight Dillian Whyte
Former British heavyweight champion Dillian Whyte says compatriot Anthony Joshua was too “gun-shy” as he lost his world titles to Oleksandr Usyk.
The Ukrainian won by unanimous decision with the judges scoring the heavyweight bout 117-112, 116-112 and 115-113.
Whyte, who was beaten by Joshua in 2015, said his former rival was “too negative” at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
“I said if Joshua tried to box he was always going to lose,” Whyte told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“If he had come out and bullied him and pushed the pace and let his hands go he could have even knocked him out in the first round.
“But he came out and was being too negative. He seemed like a gun-shy fighter. You are the bigger man – have a go.
“I don’t know, he lacked ambition in the ring there tonight.”
The unbeaten Usyk produced a classy performance as he was able to evade Joshua’s right hand, while firing strong shots of his own.
Whyte says Joshua was “worried” after feeling Usyk’s power.
He added: “The first round, Usyk landed the first strong blow and Joshua was a negative fighter. He got tagged with a left and he was worried the whole time.”
‘We were expecting more’
BBC Radio 5 Live commentator Steve Bunce says Joshua will be “disappointed” with his performance.
He said: “Anthony Joshua will look at that fight and will say ‘I didn’t perform – I followed him around, I did all of the things I was told not to do.’
“The key word here is ‘disappointment’. We have all used it in different terms and I think AJ might even use it himself.
“We were expecting more; we wanted more.
“Why didn’t he just have a go? Because even in the last five or six rounds he wasn’t letting the right hand go.
“The body shots were good, but they wasn’t part of what he was trying to do.”
Anthony Joshua v Oleksandr Usyk: I’ll still fight Tyson Fury without the belts – Joshua
Those comments were echoed by former super-middleweight world champion Carl Froch, who said Joshua was “simply not good enough”.
“All the boxing purists who know the game, we always knew Usyk could outperform AJ, out-box him and beat him on points,” said Froch.
“I don’t think any of us knew he could do it in such a manner. Towards the end, he took control, then started to beat him up when he didn’t need to.
“That was a boxing match and a proper fight, which in the end Usyk was in control of. He deserves every credit.
“Anthony Joshua did his part, he tried to box with him and work the body at time, but it wasn’t enough. He simply wasn’t good enough.” BBC News
