Trainer of Anthony Joshua (24-3, 22 KOs) Robert Garcia commented on Saturday night's loss to IBF, WBA and WBO heavyweight champion Alexander Usik (20-0, 13 KOs) for the first time since his return match. The American believes that the Ukrainian showed a stronger character and the will to win.
"Joshua suffered a psychological defeat in the tenth or eleventh round. The tenth round was a big round for Usik. From that point on, after AJ dominated the ninth round, we were already relying on just one punch to turn the tide of the fight," said Garcia, who made his debut as Joshua's coach in the rematch with Usik. Garcia led Joshua's preparations along with Spanish trainer Angel Fernandez.
"The fight was going well for us, but the tenth round changed everything. In the ninth round we were close to winning, maybe even by knockout. We were winning on the judges' notes. But the last rounds decided everything. Usik is a great fighter, he has a terrific heart, and he knows how to finish tough in championship rounds," the American added.
"In the ninth round, we told ourselves in the corner that the fight was ours. However, you can't rely on anything until the very last race. I even felt in the last days that Anthony Joshua had broken himself mentally. In the ninth round he threw a lot of punches and almost finished Usik. It is possible that he spent all his strength, or Usik was stronger and more motivated in the tenth round," continued the experienced specialist.
"In this fight Usik was psychologically stronger, in my opinion. He was on the verge of defeat, but he didn't give up and came back stronger. His will and patriotic determination helped him. He wanted to make a statement to his countrymen. He is a great source of inspiration to them. Joshua is mentally weaker than Usika. A.J.'s intelligence and exhaustion during the fight have a deceptive effect on him. I know from experience when an athlete is mentally broken. He stops listening, his psyche falters. We tried not only to train, but to motivate A.J., to bring up the image of his family, to get him back into the game. That didn't work out for us either," summed up the topic, the former world bantamweight champion, better known as a coach for working with many famous world champions, including his brother Mikey Garcia, the Filipino Nonito Donaire and the Argentine Marcos Maidana.
