Francois Nel | Getty Images Sport | Getty Images Oleksandr Usyk earned a second straight victory over Anthony Joshua to defend his unified WBO, WBA and IBF world heavyweight titles during an epic 12-round battle. Usyk triumphed in a split decision at Jeddah’s King Abdullah Sports City Arena, taking 116-112 and 115-113 respectively over Ukraine’s Viktor Fesechko and Britain’s Steve Gray. Glenn Feldman of the USA scored it 115-113 for Joshua. The result angered Joshua. He grabbed two championship belts and tossed them out of the ring before briefly escaping. Joshua then returned to grab the mic and vent his emotions in an outburst of passion. “I’m stealing this Usyk, I’m sorry, but it’s because of the passion we put into it,” Joshua told the crowd during his two-minute speech. Usyk holds three of the four major heavyweight belts. One is missing from his collection. Tyson Fury, seemingly retired, still holds the WBC title. This is the only fight Usyk cares about. “I’m sure Tyson Fury hasn’t retired yet,” said the champion. “I’m sure, I’m convinced he wants to fight me.

How champion Usyk fended off a much-improved Joshua

Usyk had to withstand immense pressure from a relentless Joshua, who produced a much-improved performance from his first fight in September. Last year, after just two professional fights in the heavyweight division, Usyk outclassed Joshua in London in a superb performance. A former undisputed cruiserweight champion, Usyk has proven himself to be one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world today. Joshua sparked an immediate rematch, determined to restore his status as the top heavyweight. To that end he brought in a new trainer, Robert Garcia to join Angel Fernandez in his corner and dedicated himself to correcting the mistakes he made in the first fight.

Joshua had lost before meeting Usyk but avenged his loss to Andy Ruiz in his first visit to Saudi Arabia in 2019. He was fighting to become a three-time heavyweight champion and knew his legacy depended on a win tonight. Both fighters were under intense pressure going into this championship clash. No one could think of defeat. He made a tense start. Usyk let his southpaw jab flicker, sometimes feinting, sometimes landing. He released a quick cross and blocked Joshua’s right well. Joshua got on the front foot though, sending a right hook to the body and backed up when the Ukrainian came close. Oleksandr Usyk lands a right hand on Anthony Joshua during their heavyweight bout, dubbed Rage on the Red Sea, in Saudi Arabia on August 20. Francois Nel | Getty Images Sport | Getty Images He continued that attention to the body, driving his right to the body whenever he could and seeing an opening to let it shoot to the head. But Usyk remained elusive, ducking his head around further jabs and picking off the bigger challenger. Joshua threw his shots with weight behind him, they were heavy even when Usyk took them on his gloves or elbows. He grew in confidence, letting his own punches fly more in the fourth round. He looked for Usyk as he threatened uppercuts. The Ukrainian, however, ended that round with an excellent left cross.

The pace picked up in the fifth

The pace picked up in the fifth round, only for a brief pause when Joshua landed an uppercut below the belt. Joshua continued that attack to the torso and hit the body with a hard right. Usyk looked to fend him off, landing a counter left as Joshua came in. The challenger now, Joshua continued to press Usyk, much more willing to engage than in their first fight. His right missed, but he cut Usyk down with a good left hook. Joshua dug in to the body as Usyk had to stay on the back foot. But Usyk had marked him around his right eye. The race was closely fought in the first six rounds. Usyk’s hand speed is called for at times, while his left one shot that caught Joshua through the gaps. Usyk speaks to reporters after his victory over Anthony Joshua at the King Abdullah Sports City Arena in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Francois Nel | Getty Images Sport | Getty Images In the eighth round, Joshua landed an encouraging left hook to the body. Usyk came back at him, testing Joshua with a combination of punches. As Usyk dropped him in the head, Joshua landed a right down to get Usyk out. Joshua started to break in the ninth round. He eventually drove Usyk to the ropes and Joshua kept up the pressure, pounding the Ukrainian with heavy hooks. He dug into a sly body and a smile spread across Joshua’s face. He was about to gain momentum. However, Usyk changed the match again. He picked up the pace in amazing fashion in the next lap. He stunned Joshua with a precise right hook. He unloaded with hard lefts and drove Joshua back step by step. A heavy right landed on Usyk’s chin, but he took it and pressed on with his offense, landing shots on Joshua as the 10th round ended. Usyk was handling the pressure and Joshua knew he had to find something special in the final round. He tried valiantly, punching hard in the head once more. But Usyk kept his feet down and kept moving, working well even off the ropes. He finished the fight like a champion, not giving up in the 12th round. It was Usyk who finished strong, cutting Joshua down with heavy counters to close out the final seconds of the fight. The decision was closer than expected, but Usyk was a worthy winner.

Joshua vents emotion

Joshua, however, couldn’t contain his emotions after the fight. “If you knew my story, you’d understand my passion. I’m not a five-year-old amateur boxer who was an elite youth prospect. I was going to jail, got bail and started training my ass. I wanted to be able to fight,” he roared. It was Usyk’s moment, however Joshua was alone with the microphone and kept talking. “This guy who’s going to beat me tonight, maybe I could do better, but it shows the level of hard work I put in, so please applaud him as our heavyweight champion of the world,” Joshua said. When defending champion Usyk had a chance to speak, he said, “I did this victory for my country, for all the people, the soldiers who defend the country. Thank you very much. “This is already history. Many generations are going to watch this fight, especially the round when someone tried to beat me hard, but I took it and turned it around in a different way.” Anthony Joshua’s heavyweight rematch against Oleksandr Usyk is on Sky Sports Box Office. Book your replays now!