Ukraine boxer, Oleksandr Usyk early Sunday morning won his rematch against Anthony Joshua by split decision to retain his world heavyweight titles in just his fourth fight in the division in Saudi Arabia.
Africa Today News, New York reports that Usyk, 35, who saw off the defending champion in London in 2021, faced an improved Joshua but outboxed him once again to set up a potential unification bout with Britain’s Tyson Fury.
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‘I want to thank God for the help that he gave me today,” Usyk told the crowd at the 12,000-seat King Abdullah Sports City Arena in Jeddah.
‘I give this victory to my country, to my family, to my team and to all the military who are defending the country,’ he added.
The fight was watched on free-to-air TV by millions of Ukrainians living under the Russian invasion. Usyk signed up to fight for his country before accepting the rematch.
An angered Joshua peppered his post-match speech with expletives despite the presence of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, de facto ruler of the deeply religious country.
Meanwhile, promoter Eddie Hearn has revealed that Anthony Joshua didn’t start well in his rematch against the Ukrainian.
Speaking at the ringside after the fight, Hearn said, “What a performance from Usyk. I thought we had him but the 10th round was one of the best rounds I’ve ever seen.
“What he did in the 10th, 11th, 12th rounds were incredible. AJ didn’t start fast enough but he fought a much better fight than last time. He hurt him in the ninth but Usyk came on like a train.
“In the 10th round, Usyk decided to regain the fight. He’s too good. There’s no shame in it. You saw the reaction from AJ, from a human who wanted to win so badly and he exploded.
He also added, “He couldn’t win, he’s a competitor, a winner. But he was too good. That’s why he’s the best pound-for-pound fighter. I felt Usyk won because of the 10th,11th, and 12th rounds. I had it very close going into those rounds but the championship rounds showed from the championship fighter that he is a pound-for-pound great.
He added that Joshua gave everything in the game but wasn’t just lucky.