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.

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.

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.

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.