Oleksandr Usyk (20-0, 13 KO) defended his heavyweight crown for the first time today (Saturday, August 20, 2022) live on DAZN from inside the Jeddah Superdome in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, when the Ukrainian fighter beat Anthony Joshua. (24-3, 22 KO) by split decision to retain his WBA, WBO and IBF world titles.
Usyk relied on his trademark footwork and head movement to get in and out of range early on. Joshua waited to counter and began to switch levels to land some solid shots to the body. All this with the aim of slowing Usyk’s movement and keeping him in one place.
Joshua’s pressure put Usyk on the back foot more often than he would like and the body shots began to force Usyk to drop his hands. This allowed Joshua to land one of his cleanest flurries of the fight in round 6 that put Usyk on the ropes. Joshua kept the pressure on in the seventh as Usyk struggled to regain control.
The two heavyweights traded blows down the stretch as Joshua continued to pile on the body shots while Usyk landed sharp shots up top. Joshua almost got a fall in the ninth frame, but Usyk stayed with his bike and somehow survived. Usyk fought back in the tenth to put Joshua on notice, but Joshua countered with a massive kick that stunned the champion.
In the end, it was Usyk who showed enough consistency, durability and determination to hold on to the belt and win another massive fight over Joshua.
Check out the full fight video below:
For full “Usyk vs. Joshua 2” results and coverage, click here.