Anthony Joshua and Cleksandr Usyk
Oleksandr Usyk retained his IBF, WBA and WBO heavyweight title via a split-decision win over Anthony Joshua in a thrilling contest in Jeddah.
Fighting 11 months after their initial encounter at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where Usyk majestically dethroned Joshua, each brought renewed intensity to their rivalry, which reached a sensational crescendo during rounds nine and 10 as the action ebbed back and forth.
By that stage, however, Usyk’s sensational skills had largely negated Joshua’s intelligent body attack and opened up an advantage that was recognised by margins of 116-112 and 115-113 on two scorecards. Inexplicably, judge Glenn Feldman scored it Joshua 115-113, leading to a head-scratching split decision.
When his victory was announced, Usyk shed tears before his national Ukrainian flag, having joined in the resistance against the Russian invasion in his homeland between these two seismic triumphs over Joshua.
The 35-year-old is now also in possession of the Ring Magazine belt, which was held until his recent retirement by Tyson Fury. The undefeated Briton still holds the WBC crown and that is where Usyk’s attention will now turn, with his status as a modern great already secured.
Joshua ended the evening with an erratic and profanity-laced, if largely sentimentally sound, address in the middle of the ring that jarringly hogged Usyk’s deserved limelight. But it was the result of what must have become a maddening experience against a boxing genius.
