Boxing: Usyk beats Joshua by split decision in heavyweight title fight

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia -- Ukraine's Oleksandr Usyk won his rematch against Anthony Joshua by split decision to set up a potential unification bout with Britain's Tyson Fury in Saudi Arabia on Saturday.

The former cruiserweight world champion, who dismantled the holder in London last year, faced an improved Joshua but outboxed him once again in just his fourth heavyweight bout.

Usyk, now unbeaten at 20-0 immediately called out Fury, who announced his latest retirement earlier this month but has signalled his willingness to resume his career.

Victory over the 6ft 9ins (2.06m) Fury would unite all four heavyweight belts and constitute a crowning glory for the sublime Ukrainian, a former outstanding amateur and Olympic heavyweight champion.

"I'm sure that Tyson Fury is not retired yet," Usyk told the crowd. "I'm convinced he wants to fight me. I want to fight him. If I'm not fighting Tyson Fury I'm not fighting at all."

The fight was watched on free-to-air TV by millions of Ukrainians living under the Russian invasion. Usyk signed up to fight for his country before accepting the rematch.

"I give this victory to my country, to my family, to my team and to all the military who are defending the country," he told the 12,000-seat King Abdullah Sports City Arena in Jeddah.

An angered Joshua peppered his post-fight speech with expletives despite the presence of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, de facto ruler of the deeply religious country.

The judges scored it 113-115, 115-113 and 116-112 for Usyk as Joshua narrowed the gap but was still found wanting.

- Slick Usyk -

Joshua, the 6ft 6ins (1.98m) two-time world champion is left staring at an impasse in his career after his third defeat in his 12th straight title fight left him with figures of 24-3-0.

Joshua, accused of hesitancy in their first fight in London, was the early aggressor by round two as he repeatedly landed his big right hand.

A heavy right hook stung Usyk in round three and Joshua was continuing to find the jab as the Ukrainian's busy footwork opened up gaps.

A low blow from Joshua left Usyk wincing in the fifth and another backed him onto the ropes in the sixth but the tricky southpaw came firing back with some lightning combinations.

A flurry to the body put Usyk back on the ropes in the eighth and Joshua had the Ukrainian hanging on in the ninth after a right-left hook combination as the fight came alive.

But Usyk came storming back after the bell with a succession of clean shots as Joshua took some serious punishment despite landing a massive right of his own.

The mesmerising Usyk increased his control in the closing stages, slipping punches and landing quick combinations as Joshua searched in vain for the knock-down.

Earlier on the card, Somali-born Briton Ramla Ali knocked out the Dominican Republic's Crystal Garcia Nova in round one in the very first women's professional boxing match in Saudi Arabia.

Agence France-Presse

Joshua-Usyk rematch could be staged in UK, says promoter

Anthony Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn said the United Kingdom is among the venues being considered to host the Briton’s rematch against Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk, adding that the fight will take place in June or July.

World heavyweight champion Usyk beat Joshua in front of a sell-out crowd in London in September last year to claim the WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO belts.

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow calls a “special military operation”, Usyk returned to his homeland to join a territorial defence battalion, raising doubts about a rematch with Joshua.

However, Usyk said last month that he had begun preparations for the bout, with the Ukrainian’s promoter Alexander Krassyuk telling Sky Sports that Saudi Arabia was a potential venue.

“We’re in final negotiations for a couple of sites for either the end of June or early-to-mid-July,” Hearn told British media on Friday. “I reckon within two weeks we’ll have some news in terms of where that’s going to be.

“An option is in the UK. The difference is, we don’t really need negotiations with a venue in the UK, we just book it.”

The winner could be in line for a unification bout with WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury of Britain.

-reuters-

Boxing: Ruiz stuns Joshua to become world heavyweight champion

Andy Ruiz Jr. dethroned British title-holder Anthony Joshua with a stunning seventh-round stoppage at New York's Madison Square Garden on Saturday to become the first Mexican-American world heavyweight champion.

Joshua, previously undefeated and fighting for the first time in the United States, was defending his IBF, WBA and WBO titles but was knocked down four times in the fight before the referee waved off the contest in the seventh.

Ruiz had not been given much chance of beating the champion given he had just five full weeks to prepare after Joshua's scheduled opponent, Jarrell Miller, tested positive performance-enhancing drugs.

Joshua said the defeat was hard to take but that he would be back.

"Boxing is a tough sport. I trained hard, I stayed dedicated. And I just got beat by a good fighter tonight," he said. "It'll be interesting to see how far he goes but good luck to him.

"I gotta bounce back. This is all part of the journey. Fighter by heart, boxer by trade."

Ruiz was dropped to the canvas in the third but the heavy brawler came back to down the Brit in the same round and Joshua was lucky to survive.

Joshua appeared to recover and worked his jab well over the next few rounds but Ruiz landed big body shots in the sixth to put the champion on the back foot.

Joshua went down again in a flurry of Ruiz punches with nearly two minutes left in the seventh and while the British fighter got off his knees just in time to beat the count his legs looked like jelly as he made his way to a neutral corner.

The referee asked him if he was okay to continue before waving his arms to end the fight, prompting wild celebrations in the ring by Ruiz and his trainers. 

(Writing by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles, Additional reporting by Nick Mulvenney; Editing by Peter Rutherford)

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Boxing: Fear of losing drives Joshua to remain world's 'best heavyweight'

World heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua may have proclaimed himself "the best in the division" ahead of putting his titles on the line against Russia's Alexander Povetkin at Wembley Stadium, but he also stressed a defeat would not signal the end of his career. 

The 28-year-old British boxer has won all 21 of his fights since entering the paid ranks, with 20 by way of knockout, although his last title defense, against New Zealand's Joseph Parker in Cardiff in March saw him go the distance for the first time as a professional before he secured a unanimous points decision.

But Joshua, citing the example of many great boxers, insisted a reverse in front of his home crowd on Saturday would not see him bow out of boxing.

"That fear of losing is always there," Joshua, the International Boxing Federation, World Boxing Association and World Boxing Organization champion, told reporters at Wembley. 

"Sugar Ray Robinson, the best fighter of all time, can lose. Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, Thomas Hearns, Roberto, Duran, Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, (all lost)."

"So who am I to go undefeated?...I have lost before as an amateur and that didn't deter me from getting where I am today," added the London 2012 Olympic champion.

When it was put to Joshua that losing would not end his career, he replied: "One hundred percent and I know that it could happen because I know how tough this sport is."

"That's what I say in boxing, there's no league one, league two...You are either the best or you're not."

Joshua has a significant height and reach advantage of several inches over Povetkin, the 2004 Olympic champion.

Friday's weigh-in also confirmed a significant size difference, with Joshua tipping the scales at 17 stone 8 pounds (111.5 kilos) compared to the 39-year-old Povetkin's 15st 12lbs (100.7 kilos).

This fight sees Joshua returning to the scene of arguably his greatest triumph, an 11th-round stoppage of former champion Wladimir Klitschko last year.

Klitschko is the only man to have inflicted a blemish on Povetkin's 35-fight record, with a points win back in 2013.

Povetkin, however, served notice of his formidable punching power with a sickening knockout of Britain's David Price on the Joshua-Parker undercard at Cardiff's Principality Stadium.

Nevertheless, Joshua had no doubt his best would be good enough to defeat Povetkin.

"Yeah 100 percent," he said. 

"I am the best in the division. There is no doubt about it. It's been proven. There hasn't been a time in boxing since I've been an amateur that I haven’t been on top," added Joshua, whose management have yet to secure a heavyweight unification fight with World Boxing Council champion Deontay Wilder.

'Well is deep' 

Joshua though insisted he was fully focused on the challenge posed by Povetkin.

"I’m up against one of the best fighters in the world, he's a top three fighter in the world, so I have got to be on my A game," he explained.

But Joshua believes the fact he won a grueling contest against Klitschko would stand him in good stead on Saturday.

"Povetkin says he is not the same fighter he was when he lost to Klitschko, he's stronger," said Joshua. 

"I can reflect and say I'm the same. When I fought Klitschko, I thought we would have a good boxing match. You know, two tall guys jab, one-two, one-two hook and I’m probably going to knock him out like I did the rest of the fighters. It turned out to be a completely different kind of night," he said. 

"Klitschko at the end of his career, he was 39, wanted his hands on the championship belts and he said he was obsessed."

"He was probably in good condition, because most fighters are if they train, but he was obsessed. Povetkin, same thing. Back at Wembley at the end of his career, same age, wants his hands on the belts so I have got to be prepared to go through hell and back," he said. 

"Without that Klitschko fight, I wouldn't be as prepared as I am now," Joshua explained.

"I think my well is deep, my heart can definitely go through hell and back."

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Those belts are mine, Parker tells Joshua as big fight looms

LONDON - Joseph Parker went face to face with Anthony Joshua on Tuesday and said he had yet to decide how he was going to win the unification battle of the undefeated world heavyweight champions.

New Zealander Parker (24-0) had no doubt he would do so, however, in front of 80,000 people at Cardiff's Principality Stadium on Saturday.

"I feel it's my time," the bespectacled WBO champion, looking sharp in three-piece suit and tie, told a crowded news conference at Sky television's London headquarters.

"I'm here to take those belts back. I'm here to be part of history.

"I haven't decided how I want to beat him yet. I don't know if it's a knockout or points or a decision. I'll see how I feel on fight night. Those belts are mine."

The taller Joshua, the WBA, IBF and IBO world heavyweight champion, boasts a 20-0 record and is the overwhelming favourite.

The 2012 Olympic champion was equally certain he would emerge triumphant, portraying Parker as another step in his own life journey and not even the toughest opponent.

That was Ukrainian Wladimir Klitschko, whom he beat at Wembley in April last year.

"I'm definitely preparing for a 12-round fight, 110 percent," said the chiselled Briton.

"But let's say I've got 20 quid (pounds) in my pocket and I'm looking at Joseph Parker and Anthony Joshua. I believe Anthony Joshua will knock Joseph Parker out for sure."

Joshua, who had said on Monday he expected Parker to be overwhelmed, has won all his previous fights by knockout and has boasted that no human can stop him.

Parker, who said he would be surprised if Joshua could catch him, detected a whiff of arrogance and said he was no stepping stone for someone else.

"Of course he can be beaten," the New Zealander said. "He's not a god. He's a human being.

"I know if I catch him clean, he's out. He looks angry, he looks nervous. I'm not nervous. I'm ready for this, I'm confident."

Despite his status as the poster boy of a division whose other big name is American Deontay Wilder, the undefeated WBC champion, Joshua spoke also of the fear of losing.

"It keeps me motivated," he said. "One minute you're the man, and the next you're not."

With the two contenders remaining polite and respectful several seats apart, it was left to U.S. big fight announcer Michael Buffer to crank up the hype.

"This Saturday we will take one more step closer to the goal of a fighter being called the undisputed heavyweight world champion," he said.

"Champion versus champion, undefeated fighter versus undefeated fighter. Somebody's O has got to go."

(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Ed Osmond)

source: news.abs-cbn.com