Oleksandr Usyk kissed the blue-and-yellow flag of Ukraine and looked to the Saudi Arabian sky as he retained his world heavyweight titles after beating Anthony Joshua in a rematch in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
When he heard the winning words “and still,” an emotional Usyk raised his left arm and pulled the flag over his face.
In the first fight, Joshua lost his three heavyweight world titles to the Ukrainian in London in September last year.
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The 32-year-old Joshua showed a vast improvement from their first fight which he lost in September last year, but could still not match the brilliance and ring savviness of the Ukrainian.
Joshua lost the bout by split decision after 12 rounds.
Usyk retains his IBF, WBO, and WBA (Super) heavyweight belts, as well as picking up the Ring magazine title vacated by Tyson Fury.
Two judges scored the fight 115-113 and 116-112 to Usyk, while a third judge gave it 115-113 to the Joshua, but While there were some close rounds, Usyk was the deserved winner.
“I devote this victory to my country, to my family, to my team, to all the military defending this country,” the 35-year-old Usyk said through a translator. “Thank you very, very much.”
After a gruelling five-month training camp, Usyk entered the arena in a blue-and-yellow top carrying the words “Colours of Freedom” and supported by words of encouragement from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his nightly video address to the nation.
“We stick together,” the president said. “We help each other. We restore what was destroyed. We fight for all our people. And we cheer for those who represent Ukraine, today — definitely for Usyk, our guy!”
“For this guy to beat me tonight, it shows the levels of hard work he must have put in, so please give him a round of applause as heavyweight champion of world,” said Joshua after the defeat.
“They said that I’m not a 12-round fighter. I ain’t 14 stone, I’m 18 stone, I’m heavy. It’s hard work. This guy here is phenomenal.”
Joshua has now suffered back-to-back defeats against Usyk, as the Ukrainian will now attempt to coax Tyson Fury out of retirement for a lucrative showdown to become the first undisputed champion of boxing’s blue-riband division since the great Lennox Lewis.
