Ukrainian heavyweight world champion Oleksandr Usyk called Anthony Joshua the next undisputed champion following his victory over Kristian Prenga. The British boxer was knocked down twice in the opening round but turned the fight around and stopped his opponent in the second.
This was reported by Suspilne Sport.
Usyk watched the bout from ringside. After Joshua secured the stoppage victory, the Ukrainian visibly breathed a sigh of relief before entering the ring to congratulate the British boxer.
“Anthony Joshua is the next undisputed champion. The first round? This is boxing. He took an uppercut — that is a knockdown. AJ got back up and won,” Usyk told talkSPORT.
The Ukrainian champion also commented on Joshua’s expected fight against Tyson Fury.
“Now he will say, ‘Weak chin, blah-blah.’ Get out of here, greedy belly. AJ will win. He will knock him out,” Usyk added.
Joshua returned after a long break
The bout against Prenga was Joshua’s first since a car crash in Nigeria in December in which two of his close friends were killed.
The victory moved the British boxer closer to a long-awaited fight with Tyson Fury, for which the two sides had previously signed a contract.
Joshua prepared for a fight at Usyk’s training camp for the second consecutive time. Earlier this year, he also visited Ukraine with the Ukrainian champion, travelling to the Kyiv region and meeting Ukrainian service members.
