Results
Oleksandr Usyk vs Anthony Joshua 2 – Results and Fight Report
Aleksander Usyk defended the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight titles and added the Ring Magazine belt with a split decision victory Anthony Joshua in the rematch in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Their original meeting took place in September last year, and Usyk’s biggest surprise was the ease with which he scored points at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, hurting Joshua on several occasions. Usyk had previously gained weight after clearing the cruiserweight division while Joshua had previously lost and regained belts, and for the Briton, who turned to recent trainer Robert Garcia, it was a must-win opportunity.
It was a cautious opening, with Usyk (20-0, KO13) finding clever angles and possibly shading the first round, and JOshua (24-3, KO22) didn’t employ much energy. Joshua did land a decent punch in the second minute, but Usyk’s movement and jab were causing problems for the former champion. The Ukrainian dominated the center ring, and Joshua had trouble pinning his fighter down, though he did land a right hand in the third period. After the fourth quarter, Joshua focused on Usyk’s body in round five, and it seemed to pay off, although the champion continued to find success with his counterattacks.
Joshua kept up the pressure and there was more good bodywork in the sixth set but Usyk was his usual tranquil and classy self, responding with shots to his own body. Usyk’s footwork and arm speed seemed to win out but Joshua again landed on the body more than once in the eighth, catching the 35-year-old’s attention. Joshua was increasingly successful, causing Usyk to lose his bearings in the ninth and bankrupt, but Usyk again avoided trouble and finished the session. Usyk responded in kind, starting the tenth in excellent style with a few spotless shots but a powerful counter right found refuge for the former champion, which was exhausting for him as combinations rained down. Another body shot troubled Usyk in the penultimate round but he shook it off and landed more effective and precise shots that Joshua could not avoid. The Londoner went for glory in the final frame but was understandably tired and unable to secure the knockout he desperately needed as the fight went the distance.
Scores of 115-113 and 116-112 won the fight for Usyk, while Glen Feldman somehow scored in the fight 115-113 for Joshua.
Joshua was very upset after the fight and threw the belts out of the ring before going to the microphone to congratulate his opponent.
The main support was also the fight in the heavyweight division and in the thriller, Filip Hrgović (15-0, KO12) won a controversial points victory Zhilei Zhang (24-1-1, KO19) in the IBF heavyweight title eliminator final.
A heated right hand dropped the Croatian in the first frame, and Zhang staggered Hrgovic behind schedule in the fifth and gave him a close sixth. Hrgovic hung in there and had some success, but by the end of the ninth he was tired and under a lot of pressure. Hrgovic found his second wind, though, and in the tenth he unleashed a barrage of combinations to the head and body that hurt Zhang, but he was strangely spaced out and disinterested. Both men were exhausted by the finish and the thrilling fight went down to the cards.
Two scores of 115-112 and the third 114-113 won the fight for Hrgovic.
🇭🇷 𝐇𝐑𝐆𝐎𝐕𝐈𝐂 𝐓𝐀𝐊𝐄𝐒 𝐈𝐓! 🇭🇷
115-112
115-112
114-113 pic.twitter.com/oCV2fUuHrm— Sky Sports Boxing (@SkySportsBoxing) August 20, 2022
WBC lithe heavyweight title eliminator goes his own way Callum Smith (29-1, KO20)and overcame a tardy start to knock out Mathieu Bauderlique (21-2, KO12).
The left counter-attack threw the Frenchman in the fourth quarter, and after the restart, the same shot was fired with much greater force, this time crushing Bauderlique and a break was quickly called.
“That’s another thing for the reel!” 🧨🎞️
Callum Smith with a brutal, brutal knockout! 😳 pic.twitter.com/fJOVfMVu50
— Sky Sports Boxing (@SkySportsBoxing) August 20, 2022
Former world champion in two weight categories Badou Jack (27-3-3, KO16) was in the action and the Swede was extremely fortunate to receive a split decision after ten rounds in the cruiserweight division Richard Rivera (21-1, KO16).
Jack looked like a faded version of himself and was outplayed for most of the contest, although he had a forceful eight that lasted an astonishing four minutes when he hurt the tiring Rivera. Jack finished well but it looked like Rivera had done more than enough to win but two 96-94 scores for Jack trumped one of the same score for Rivera.
Ben Whitaker (2-0, KO1) fought his second professional fight after winning silver at the Tokyo Olympics last year, with the lithe heavyweight contender amassing six rounds in a wide points victory against Petar Wear (6-1, KO3). Whitaker stopped Nosic in the amateur round, but the Croatian played well before losing 60-54 and 59-55 (twice) on the scorecards.
𝐒𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐂 Ben Whittaker v Petar Nosic 🔥⭐@BenGWhittaker | @Boxxer | #UsykJoshua2 pic.twitter.com/JHolUDM9Dl
— Sky Sports Boxing (@SkySportsBoxing) August 20, 2022
Ramla Ali (7-1, KO2) AND Crystal Garcia Nova (10-3, KO10) made history as the first two women to box professionally in Saudi Arabia, and Ali wasted no time in stopping the Dominican less than a round into their super bantamweight contest. A large right hand knocked out Nova’s shield, and a body shot finished the deal.
Former contender for the cruiserweight world title Andrew Tabiti (20-1, KO16) made a winning heavyweight debut, and the American earned a fifth-round retirement victory against James Wilson (7-1-1, KO6). Wilson was tired and shaky in the fifth, and the constant attack to the body threw him to the deck. As he ran out of energy, Wilson’s corner pulled him out of the action at the end of the frame.
Ukrainian lithe heavyweight fighter Daniel Lapin (6-0, KO6) secured a half-dozen professional victories, routinely winning 80-72 in eight rounds Józef Jurko (9-7-1, KO6).
Ziyad Almayouf (1-0, KO1) delighted his home fans when the super lightweight defeated him by knockout in the first round José Alatorre (0-1). The pair exchanged from the start, but a tough right hand knocked Alatorre down, and shortly after the restart, the same shot knocked him down again and the fight was stopped.
Bader Samreen (6-0, KO5) extended his undefeated record by stopping Fuad Tarverdi (5-3, KO4) in the fourth and final round of his lightweight competition.
YouTuber Belhas’s “Moneykicks” smashed (0-1) he was nervous about his debut, as was Bulgaria Traycho Georgiev (1-3, KO0) took a split decision, winning over four rounds in the welterweight division.
According to Frank Warren, Oleksandr Usyk is looking forward to the world heavyweight title clash between Daniel Dubois and Joseph Parker on February 22.
Usyk was present with Dubois and Parker at the Ring Awards in London on Saturday, where he allegedly revealed his plans to Warren.
The Ukrainian defended his WBA superweight, WBO and WBC heavyweight world titles with a second consecutive points victory over Tyson Fury in December, almost seven months after defeating “The Gypsy King” to become the undisputed heavyweight champion.
And now the two-time world heavyweight champion looks to continue his legacy and become a two-time undisputed heavyweight champion.
“Oleksandr told me over the weekend that he would fight the winner of Daniel v Joseph Parker for a second shot at becoming the undisputed heavyweight champion,” Warren said. Daily mail.
The 37-year-old vacated the IBF belt shortly after defeating Fury in May against Dubois, whom he retained in August 2023, advancing to full champion on the interim title list.
Dubois crushed Anthony Joshua in five rounds in his first defense in September and stormed the ring to call on Usyk for a rematch after his second victory over Fury.
The Londoner’s argument for wanting a rematch is based on a controversial low blow in the fifth round of the fight against the Ukrainian, which he believed was a legal shot.
“Usyk, I want to take revenge,” said the 27-year-old.
“Good job tonight.
“I want revenge for the last robbery.
“Let’s sort this out. Let’s go.
After back-to-back defeats to Usyk, Fury announced on Monday that he was retiring with immediate effect, ending hopes of a long-awaited showdown with Joshua.
“Hi everyone, I’ll keep it brief and sweet,” the 36-year-old said on Instagram.
“I would like to announce that I am leaving boxing.
“It was great fun.
“I loved every minute of it.
“Let me end this, Dick Turpin wore a mask.
“God bless everyone, see you on the other side.”
Ben Shalom insists Conor Benn’s financial demands were a key obstacle to finalizing his fight with Chris Eubank Jr.
Shalom, Eubank Jr’s promoter, is in negotiations with Benn’s promoter Eddie Hearn to secure a realigned showdown between the British rivals.
The pair were scheduled to meet in October 2022, but the catchweight bout was postponed until fight week after Benn failed a drug test.
“The Destroyer” was released by National Anti-Doping Panelwho lifted the suspension, after which negotiations resumed for a pointed fight with Eubank Jr, as a result of which Benn jumped two weight classes to middleweight.
The main point of contention apparently was the financial demands of both players, with Benn’s team demanding a 50-50 split.
Shalom said last month that he convinced Eubank Jr. to accept a 55-45 split in his favor, and the BOXXER promoter claims that Benn is demanding whatever amount Anthony Joshua will be able to make.
“Getting Conor to understand that he is not Anthony Joshua,” Shalom said The boxing scene.
“I think Conor needs to be talked into some sense.
“If it was Chris Eubank Jr three or four years ago, probably when he was more hotheaded, he actually took a pretty reasonable, mature approach to this whole thing.
“I really believe in it. It’s just about getting the other side to do it too. I think it will be implemented.”
Shalom said Professional boxing fans on Wednesday that the two sides are close to reaching an agreement, and if an agreement is reached, the fight is expected to take place in April.
A fight with WBA middleweight Erislandy Lara has been lined up for Eubank Jr in case a deal falls through, while his Essex counterpart is likely to aim for a meeting with WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios if he is unable to face the fighter from Brighton.
“I think it will happen as long as no one does something stupid,” Shalom told professional boxing fans.
“We are now in the home phase.
“It’s like the last 100m, unless someone does something crazy, they should cross the finish line, but it has to be now because Lara is in line.
“All conditions have been described. Nobody wants to wait and everyone is ready to act.
“We know where the event will take place. We know it will take place in the UK.
“The framework is already in place and now it’s just a matter of finishing it.”
The 2025 British Boxing Championships will be held at the Park Community Arena in Sheffield on Saturday evening, with the main event being the defense of Callum Simpson, from nearby Barnsley, in the British and Commonwealth super middleweight title against Steed Woodall.
Ben Shalom’s BOXXER promotes the Simpson vs. Woodall fight and Heavenly sports was broadcast live on television in the UK and the fight was available on Peacock in the US.
Simpson (15-0, 10 KO) flourished under the BOXXER banner, and points scored over ten rounds against Boris Crighton and Jose de Jesus Macias opened the way to a shot at the British and Commonwealth belts.
The 28-year-old got this chance at the stadium of his beloved Barnsley football club.
Simpson proved too good for Zak Chelli and scored massive to win the pair of titles on offer last August.
Now his opponent will be Woodall (19-2-1, 12 KO), “The Stallion”, who comes from Birmingham.
The 30-year-old took part in campaigns in America and Panama at the beginning of his career, and after beating the aforementioned Crighton over eight rounds in April 2023, he gave Padraig McCrory a decent argument before losing on points over ten rounds four months later.
Woodall picked up the best win of his career when he stopped Lerrone Richards in six rounds in an upset in Bolton to claim the WBO Intercontinental super middleweight crown last June.
Prediction: Simpson is a viable prospect to watch this year and I think he will outperform Woodall, but most likely based on the scorecards.
Dubois defends his world title for the first time
On the card, Caroline Dubois defends her WBC lightweight title for the first time against Canadian Jessica Camara.
Dubois (10-0, 5 KO) was already an IBO champion and added the WBC interim belt to her collection last August, winning every round over Maira Moneo.
She was then elevated to full champion after leaving Katie Taylor.
Camara (14-4, 3 KO) is a former world title contender, and last April she won a split decision over undefeated former world champion Hyun Mi Choi.
Prediction: Dubois will be looking to showcase her talents here, and considering Camara has had three stoppages in four losses, Dubois could make her presence felt with a win on schedule.
Undercard remaining
Cruiserweight prospect Scott Forrest (6-0, 3 KO) can stop Deevorn Miller (8-2, 6 KO).
The only fighter in the eighth round is in the featherlight heavyweight division, and Billy Deniz (12-0, 5 KO) will probably need the distance to win against Mickey Ellison (15-7, 5 KO).
In the six-round middleweight division, Sam Hickey (1-0) should score against Lewis Howells (3-1), and Mauro Silva (6-0, 3 KO) could do the same against Emmanuel Zion (6-2, 3) KO).
Ellis Price (1-0) should secure a four-round points victory over lightweight debutant Liam Fitzmauric.
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