On Saturday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk were battling for the unified heavyweight crowns. As the ninth round got underway, Joshua appeared to feel the need to make a big move.
Joshua then burst onto the scene and started tearing Usyk apart with vicious body shots. With straight right punches and a left hook that had had brought down so many opponents before him, he pounded Usyk.
Usyk started the tenth round with a four-punch combination and continued to dominate the fight much as Joshua had in the ninth.
The distinction was that Usyk maintained his hegemony over the eleventh and twelve. Usyk retained his IBF, WBA, and WBO heavyweight titles after winning the highly anticipated rematch by a split decision.
Judge Glenn Feldman bizarrely awarded Joshua the victory by a score of 115–113. However, Steve Gray and Victor Fesechko, the judges, scored it 115-113 for Usyk and 116-112 for them. Usyk was 116-112 on Yahoo Sports.
Eddie Hearn, the Joshua's promoter, praised Okeksandr Usyk's "outstanding performance." One of the best rounds I've ever seen was the tenth. It redirected the conflict. He accomplished amazing things in the tenth, eleventh, and twelve. That was the distinction.
Joshua lost his belts against Usyk in September in Tottenham, England, setting up their rematch on Saturday. Joshua made a number of adjustments, among them hiring Robert Garcia to coach him.
Usyk was fantastic, but Joshua was obviously superior. He unleashed a staggering 712 punches, and by moving his head and upper body, he not only managed to avoid many of Joshua's blows but also put himself in a position to hit Joshua with counterpunches.