Usyk reaffirmed as the king of the heavyweights  – World Boxing Association

Oleksandr Usyk proved that he is the best heavyweight of today and possibly the best pound for pound by defeating Anthony Joshua in a rematch to retain his World Boxing Association (WBA) Super championship, in addition to the IBF and WBO belts at the Superdome in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The Ukrainian won a split decision of 116-112, 113-115 and 115-113 in a bout in which he knew how to set a good strategy and went from strength to strength to take advantage of the British. 

Joshua this time showed a new face and worked very well from the strategic point of view. He took advantage of his distance in the early rounds and managed to prevent Usyk from getting into his guard while throwing punches to the middle area with the intention of slowing down his mobility. 

The champion was patient and figured Joshua out as the rounds went by. He had to deal with a good jab and at times endured good power punches, but his agility and his punches from different angles were the key to take advantage on the scorecards.

Usyk’s work became more evident from the tenth round, when he began to hit Joshua with ease and put him in bad shape on several occasions to win on the scorecards after another great performance.

The champion remains undefeated and now has 20 wins, with 13 knockouts. Joshua, who showed courage and the ability to improve, now has 24 wins, 3 losses and 22 knockouts.