Oleksandr Usyk retained his three heavyweight titles with a split-decision victory over Anthony Joshua in a rematch on Saturday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
One judge scored the bout for Joshua, 115-113, but was overruled by tallies of 115-113 and 116-112 in favor of Usyk, who defeated Joshua for a second time.
Usyk (20-0, 13 KOs), 35, of Ukraine, had a tougher fight than the first time, but he was able to outbox Joshua once again for the victory.
Joshua (24-3, 22 KOs), 32, of England, who entered the ring champion when they met in September in London, fared far better in the return bout under the guidance of new trainer Robert Garcia, but it still wasn’t enough.
Round-by-round analysis:
Round 12: Joshua had some of his best moments of the fight with few powerful shots that caught Usyk’s attention as he pressed for the KO, but the champ absorbed the shots and kept throwing with ferocity, outhustling Joshua to close the fight strong. Close round. 10-9, Usyk. 116-112, Usyk.
Round 11: Joshua has his moments with the body shots again, but Usyk far sharper. He was able to slide around AJ and connect to the head over and over. One round remaining. 10-9, Usyk. 106-103, Usyk.
Round 10: Usyk responds with an even bigger round than Joshua had in the ninth. Had Joshua in some trouble after he let his hands go with power combo after power combo. AJ was able to fend him off with a big counter right but Usyk kept pushing after. 10-9, Usyk. 96-94, Usyk.
Round 9: Joshua with a huge round! Usyk in big trouble here. Joshua finally hurt Usyk to the body and followed up as the champ was reeling with a bundle of big shots to the head. Could be the turning point. 10-9, Joshua. 86-85, Usyk.
Round 8: Joshua with some beautiful body work. Connected on a few sharp right hands to the midsection before he unloaded to the head. Joshua needed this round badly. 10-9, Joshua. 77-75, Usyk.
Round 7: Joshua applies pressure, but doesn’t throw many punches behind it. Rather than cut off the ring he followed Usyk as the champ landed combos. Joshua needs to throw far more punches. Too many pawing shots. 10-9, Usyk. 68-65, Usyk.
Round 6: Joshua had a nice sequence where he unloaded a few body shots and then a combo upstairs with Usyk pinned on ropes, but the champ responded with even better shots as he stayed out of range. 10-9, Usyk. 58-56, Usyk.
Round 5: Usyk finding his rhythm now and ratcheting up his output. Usyk landed a few sharp left hands and continues to avoid AJ’s body shots. Joshua needs to assert himself more and cut off the ring. He can’t win going backward. 10-9, Usyk. 48-47, Usyk.
Round 4: Usyk far more active, starting to dart in and out to find the angles. He’s been able to evade Joshua’s big right uppercut so far, the punch AJ is searching for. Fight heating up. 10-9, Usyk. 38-38.
Round 3: Joshua remains patient but far more physical than the first fight. Loved the way he threw that extra body shot in the clinch. Usyk not out of first gear yet, hasn’t thrown many power shots so far. 10-9, Joshua. 29-28, Joshua.
Round 2: Joshua with a strong round that he punctuated with a sharp right hand in the closing seconds. Lots of focus on the body, and Joshua connected with a bundle of shots there. AJ appears improved thus far. 10-9, Joshua. 19-19.
Round 1: Oleksandr Usyk wins a feeling-out round. Just like in their first meeting, Usyk used plenty of movement and jabs to beat Joshua to the punch. AJ did land a few body shots and appeared more intent on using his size. 10-9, Usyk.
