Oleksandr Usyk of Ukraine defeated Nigeria’s Anthony Joshua once again unanimously
The British boxer Anthony Joshua, who was born in Nigeria, was scheduled to fight Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk in an attempt to reclaim his lost heavyweight boxing titles.
Usyk fought Anthony Joshua twice to retain his WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO world heavyweight titles late on Saturday night in Saudi Arabia.
While Uysk obviously prevailed in their first encounter, things were a little different in Saturday’s rematch as the Nigerian-born boxer put up a better fight, yet it was still not enough to give him the victory he so desperately desired.
Usyk did just enough to win and keep his undefeated record till the end.
Joshua appeared far better than he did 11 months before, but Usyk showed why he is currently one of the top boxers in the world, pound for pound.
Both boxers entered the opening round cautiously, as one would have expected, but Usyk ultimately connected with Joshua’s head and the challenger connected with the body.
The taller Joshua tried to be more aggressive in the second round and let his right hand fly, but it was still difficult to find the target against the quick Usyk, who was landing his jab regularly.
Even if the third round was closer and may have even gone in the Nigerian Anthony Joshua’s favor, he was still having trouble letting go of the reins in the face of Usyk’s relentless movement.
After a dull battle, the ninth round saw the action pick up as Joshua quickly connected with Usyk’s body and leapt into action with many effective combinations, forcing Usyk into the ropes and around the ring.
Usyk eventually won by a unanimous decision despite Joshua’s best efforts because he had a little bit more to offer.
