Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua clashed in a close match. However, the Ukrainian scored against the Briton and remained the heavyweight champion. However, one of the judges saw that “AJ” won the fight.
Oleksandr Usyk met with Anthony Joshua on August 20 in Saudi Arabia. The bout was a rematch starting in September 2021. At that time, heavyweight championship belts were at stake: WBO, WBA, IBF and IBO. Then, unexpectedly, but deservedly, the winner was the Ukrainian, who defeated the Briton by decision of the judges.
Usyk is undefeated in professional fights so far, he has 19 victories to his credit, 13 of which are early. Joshua has 24 wins on his balance sheet, 22 of them by knockout and two losses. For the 12th time, “AJ” fought for the title of world champion. Current coach Robert McCracken was absent from the British corner, replaced by Robert Garcia.
Oleksandr Usyk - Anthony Joshua 2
Joshua started the first round more actively, hitting the opponent’s body. Usyk, in turn, focused on the counterattack. The players tried to test each other, and there were no dangerous shots. The duel, however, was fought at a fast pace. The Briton started the second round from the right, but the Ukrainian first answered with a left sickle, and then with a right sickle. The roles changed a bit and Usyk was more active, while AJ was waiting for a counterattack.
In the third round, the Ukrainian made more attempts to strike, but the blows seemed to be thrown by the Brit. Joshua hit the chin and right sickle, while Usyk hit the left right. However, the fight was very even. In the fourth round, “AJ” hit hard with his right hand, and the Ukrainian with his left hand straight up. Usyk was more active in this round, while the Brit focused more on the endgame. After four rounds, the Ukrainian landed more punches.
“AJ” was active, but the Ukrainian started
In the fifth round, Joshua tried to hit the opponent with a right and right sickle, but missed the mark. He also tried body punches. Over time, the hissing began to disappear. In the sixth round, “AJ” tried his luck with the left sickle, but to no avail. Joshua also made an easy combination, but the Ukrainian answered the same. The hissing of the right hand also hit the body and head.
In the seventh round, Joshua wanted to shoot the opponent with the right sickle again, to which the Ukrainian answered with the left. Usyk focused on short streaks and more meaningful strikes in this fight. In the eighth round, the Briton missed with a left sickle. Howl, in turn, answered correctly. Joshua hit the opponent’s body, and the Ukrainian had to save himself with a clinch. “AJ” showed his superiority at the end of the round.
Live hiss, the English began to speak
The Ukrainian started the ninth round with a series of punches. In response, Joshua drew his left sickle. Howl was very lively despite the subsequent rounds. The Ukrainian found himself an opponent in the body. In the last minute of the round, the Briton tried to dominate his opponent, but Usyk skillfully managed to get out of him. After the ninth round, both of them landed about the same number of significant punches, although in general the Ukrainian landed more punches.
In the tenth round, Usyk responded to the opponent’s attack from the previous round. Joshua hit the opponent with his right, which the Ukrainian clearly felt. Howl responded with a left chin and a right sickle. The Ukrainian managed to knock the Briton onto the ropes. Usyk clearly showed his class in this round.
Ukrainian responds with bursts of single shots by Joshua
In the 11th round, the Ukrainian continued the attack. Joshua tried with his left, but Usyk skillfully avoided strikes with a balance. However, at some point, “AJ” hit the body. Howl responded with his long right chin. He then pulled off an effective combo followed by three quick strikes at the end of the round.
In the last round, it was clear that the British did not have enough strength. Joshua counted on counterattacks, but to win he needed to knock out the Ukrainian. Howl responded with a right and “AJ” hit with a right sickle. The judges had to determine the victory. However, two saw Usyki win, and one saw Joshua win. The Ukrainian retained the championship belts by a split decision of the judges.
Source: Wprost
