Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk received his rematch in opposition to Anthony Joshua by split choice in Saudi Arabia on Sunday to arrange a possible unification bout with Britain’s Tyson Fury.
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The former cruiserweight world champion, who dismantled the holder in London final 12 months, confronted an improved Anthony Joshua however outboxed him as soon as once more in simply his fourth heavyweight bout.
Usyk, now unbeaten at 20-0, instantly referred to as out Fury, who introduced his newest retirement earlier this month however has signalled his willingness to resume his profession.
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Victory over the 6-foot-9 (2.06m) Fury would unite all 4 heavyweight belts and represent a crowning glory for the elegant Ukrainian, a former excellent newbie and Olympic heavyweight champion.
“I’m sure that Tyson Fury is not retired yet,” Usyk instructed the group.
“I’m convinced he wants to fight me. I want to fight him. If I’m not fighting Tyson Fury I’m not fighting at all.”
The combat was watched on free-to-air TV by tens of millions of Ukrainians dwelling below the Russian invasion. Usyk signed up to combat for his nation earlier than accepting the rematch.
“I give this victory to my country, to my family, to my team and to all the military who are defending the country,” he instructed the 12,000-seat King Abdullah Sports City Arena in Jeddah.
An angered Anthony Joshua hurled down Usyk’s belts and peppered his post-fight speech with expletives regardless of the presence of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, de facto ruler of the deeply spiritual nation.
“I just spoke from my heart. It has been so tough,” Joshua mentioned afterwards, including: “It takes real strength and tonight there’s a little crack in the armour.”
The judges scored it 113-115, 115-113 and 116-112 for Usyk as Joshua narrowed the hole however was nonetheless discovered wanting.
“It was an incredible performance – he’s just too good,” mentioned Anthony Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn.
“You saw the reaction from AJ, that was from a human who wanted to win so badly, with so much pressure on his shoulders. I think he just exploded because he lost and he was devastated.”
Joshua, the 6-foot-6 (1.98m) two-time world champion, is left gazing an deadlock in his profession after his third defeat in his twelfth straight title combat left him with figures of 24-3-0.
Anthony Joshua was the early aggressor
Joshua, accused of hesitancy of their first combat in London, was the early aggressor by spherical two as he repeatedly landed his massive proper hand.
A heavy proper hook stung Usyk in spherical three and Joshua was persevering with to discover the jab because the Ukrainian’s busy footwork opened up gaps.
A low blow from Joshua left Usyk wincing within the fifth and one other backed him onto the ropes within the sixth however the difficult southpaw got here firing again with some lightning combos.
A flurry to the physique put Usyk again on the ropes within the eighth and Joshua had the Ukrainian hanging on within the ninth after a right-left hook mixture because the combat got here alive.
But Usyk got here storming again after the bell with a succession of unpolluted photographs as Joshua took some severe punishment regardless of touchdown an enormous proper of his personal.
The mesmerising Usyk elevated his management within the closing phases, slipping punches and touchdown fast combos as Joshua searched in useless for the knock-down.
Earlier on the cardboard, Somali-born Briton Ramla Ali knocked out the Dominican Republic’s Crystal Garcia Nova in spherical one within the very first girls’s skilled boxing match in Saudi Arabia.
By Garrin Lambley © Agence France-Presse