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Oleksandr Usyk has revealed that he and his team studied Anthony Joshua’s body language until the first bell of their fight in September.
The Ukrainian sent out and dethroned AJ, who some fans accused of appearing distracted as he made his way to the ring.
Mark Robinson / Matchroom
Usyk was the undisputed WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO cruiserweight world champion, and is now WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight champion
Similar claims were made about his body language ahead of his first loss to Andy Ruiz Jr in 2019.
Usyk told Forbes, “Of course my team and I are paying attention.
“They observe and analyze. We try to make our observations work. I noticed he was quite tired after the fight.
“I noticed that before the first fight with Ruiz he looked strange.
“But I don’t think about why this is happening. Maybe it’s for internal reasons. I don’t want to think about the reasons.
Mark Robinson / Matchroom
Joshua has been accused of looking odd in his ring as he stops to talk to friends
Ed Mulholland / Game Hall
Joshua chewed on his mouthguard during Andy Ruiz Jr’s ring walk
Regarding AJ who seemed potentially distracted before their fight, Usyk continued, “With his hands on the ropes, it wasn’t that unusual.
“There can be very different reasons for this.
“I was more surprised because he was a little distracted, chewing on the mouthguard like he was.
“That’s why I thought it was weird. But everyone behaves in their own way.
Mark Robinson / Matchroom
Usyk observed Joshua closely
Joshua himself has also suggested he will be much more aggressive in the rematch, which is scheduled for April.
In response to this, Usyk said, “I’m not worried if Joshua is up for a fight.
“Oleksandr is ready for any kind of fight.