*** Watch Usyk vs. Anthony full fight video highlights right here! ***
Undisputed Cruiserweight kingpin-turned unified Heavyweight champion, Oleksandr Usyk, returns to the ring this afternoon (Sat., Aug. 20, 2022) for a rematch with hulking British knockout artist, Anthony Joshua, inside Jeddah Superdome in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE coverage of today’s main event below. The DAZN broadcast kicks off at 12 p.m. ET, with Joshua and Usyk likely making the walk closer to 5:30 p.m. ET (stream the fight here).
It’s been almost 11 months since the pair first traded hands in London, England. Usyk — the underdog despite his storied amateur and professional credentials — out-classed Joshua to claim the WBO, IBF and WBA “super” Heavyweight titles (watch highlights). Joshua wound up exercising his rematch clause, and while the war in Ukraine delayed proceedings, they’re now ready to run it back.
The winner could be in line for an undisputed title clash with Tyson Fury, but who the heck knows what “The Gypsy King’s” plans are at this point.
The rest of the DAZN-streamed card includes a pair of final eliminators, one at Light Heavyweight between Callum Smith and Mathieu Bauderlique and the other at Heavyweight between Filip Hrgovic and Zhang Zhilei, and a Cruiserweight clash pitting Badou Jack against Richard Rivera.
Usyk Vs. Joshua 2 Quick Results:
Oleksandr Usyk vs. Anthony Joshua — Usyk def. Joshua by split decision (113-115, 115-113, 116-112) — WATCH HIGHLIGHTS!
Callum Smith vs. Mathieu Bauderlique — Smith def. Bauderlique by KO at 1:33 of Round Four
Filip Hrgovic vs. Zhang Zhilei — Hrgovic def. Zhang by unanimous decision (115-112 x2, 114-113)
Badou Jack vs. Richard Rivera — Jack def. Rivera by split decision (94-96, 96-94 x2)
Usyk Vs. Joshua 2 Round-By-Round Updates:
WBO/IBF/WBA “Super” Heavyweight Championship: Oleksandr Usyk vs. Anthony Joshua
Round one: Prodding with their lead hands to start. Sharp straight left by Usyk through the guard. Joshua jabs in return. Jab from Usyk. Halfway through. Short right hook around the guard. Joshua digs a right downstairs, avoids an overhand left. Straight right glances off. Jab from Joshua, harder jab from Usyk, body shots from Joshua. Clinch. Usyk pops him with a straight left in the final seconds. 10-9 Usyk.
Round two: Usyk circling, probing with the jab after taking a body shot. Slow first minute. Joshua jabs the body, then doubles up upstairs and digs a hook to the body. Good work from Joshua so far. Halfway through. Staggered 1-2 by Usyk. Joshua goes low-high. Quick jab from Usyk, takes a right downstairs. Darting left misses. Straight right by Joshua, then to the body on the counter. 10-9 Joshua, 19-19.
Round three: Quick exchange in the center. Jab and body shot by Joshua after eating a straight left. Cuffing two-piece. 1-1-2 by Usyk. He just can’t consistently get inside. Halfway through. Both firing periodic potshots at range. Joshua lands inside, clinch. Joshua loads up on an uppercut, eats a clean straight left. Usyk opening up a bit. Joshua fires jabs, sneaks a right around the guard. 1-1-2-3 from Usyk in the last seconds. 10-9, 29-28 Joshua.
Round four: Usyk comes up short with a combo. Body shot. Brief clinch. 3-2, clinch. Sharp straight left. Exchanging jabs. Both land to the body halfway through. Usyk splits the guard with a straight left in center ring. Body shot, both land rights up top. More body work by Usyk after blocking an uppercut. They end the round trading. 10-9 Usyk, 38-38
Round five: Usyk to the body, blocks a big swing upstairs. Straight left lands for him in return. Both sending out volleys, no clean connections. Body shot by Usyk, then a low blow from Joshua in return. Another left downstairs by Usyk halfway through. Usyk right hook, Joshua body shot. Counter jab by Usyk. He’s made some nice adjustments of late, landing more and not taking as many. Joshua fires a 1-2, can’t connect. Sharp straight left by Usyk with 20 to go. 10-9, 48-47 Usyk.
Round six: Lead right lands for Joshua. Good left hook, tries to follow up to the body. Usyk fires a combination downstairs. Sneaky counter hook. Combinations from Usyk. Joshua digs a right to the body. Halfway through. Straight left by Usyk. He slips some straight shots. Nice combo by Joshua against the ropes. Usyk sneaks in a 2-3. Joshua straight right, blocks the return fire. Usyk body shot. Closest round in a while, but 10-9, 58-56 Usyk.
Round seven: Stiff jab from Usyk, both look for body shots inside. Hook from Joshua, lead right soon after. Sweeping right misses high. Fairly slow round. Halfway through. Joshua lead right, Usyk counter left. No clean connections so far. There’s some body work by Usyk, straight left behind it. Two more straight lefts. Joshua lands a body shot, eats a combination in return. Both swing big, uppercut lands for Usyk in the last seconds. 10-9, 68-65 Usyk.
Round eight: Yet another pause to try and wipe down the ring. Ring logos are fucking dumb. Usyk continuing to move well and avoid the biggest shots. Solid left hooks downstairs by Joshua. Triple left by Usyk. They trade lefts. Right downstairs from Joshua halfway through. Usyk tries to answer with a combo, glancing 1-2 comes back at him. He goes low-high. Joshua lands a heavy volley to the body that prompts a clinch. Usyk combo, counter right by Joshua afterwards. Usyk again goes low-high. Usyk with some heavy head shots as Joshua bangs the body. 10-9 Joshua, 77-75 Usyk.
Round nine: Early left hook from Joshua. Body shots from Usyk. Brief clinch. Joshua body shot, Usyk jab. Joshua digs another body shot and a jab on the break. Usyk double jab. Some exchanges in center ring. Clubbing combo by Joshua. Usyk to the body, eats a right downstairs, weathers a flurry. Joshua really starting to make it ugly, mauling a retreating usyk. Clinch. Joshua marching after him. 3-2. Clinch, right to the body by Joshua. 10-9 Joshua, 86-85 Usyk.
Round ten: Usyk firing combinations to start the round. Body shot met by one from Joshua. Heavy right hook by Usyk and he may have stung Joshua for a second. Hard counter left and Usyk’s throwing heat. Picking his shots, leanding clean. Joshua seems like he’s conserving his energy. Body shot by Usyk, hard counter right by Joshua. Another upstairs, then to the body halfway through. Combination by Usyk. Uppercut to right hook. Lengthy combinations piling up. This is the best he’s looked all night. Joshua backs himself to the ropes; either he’s saving energy or he punched himself out. More combinations by Usyk. Teeing off in the final seconds. Joshua pops him with a straight right. 10-9, 96-94 Usyk.
Round eleven: Both slinging combos early. Usyk definitely looks the fresher. Heavy right hook inside. Joshua digs to the body, eats a volley in return. Continuing to potshot upstairs. Right to the body from Joshua, clinch. Halfway through. 1-1-2-3 from Usyk, eats a right downstairs. Counter 1-2 by Usyk. 1-2-3. Clinch. Stiff jab. Counter jab. 1-2-1-2. Joshua avoids a flurry. Looking real stiff at this point. Lefts up and downstairs by Usyk, Joshua wades in with body shots. Final flurries from Usyk. 10-9, 106-103 Usyk.
Round twelve: Joshua looks for combos, clinch. They trade inside. Nice body shot from Joshua. Clean straight right. 1-2-3 by Usyk, just misses on a huge counter left. Counter 1-2-3 lands clean. Another counter 1-2-3. There’s a nice left hook by Joshua in return. Usyk goes to the body, then upstairs in combination. Clinch halfway through. Joshua warned for what was basically a double-leg attempt. Both land their rear hands. Usyk combo, clinch. More counters by Usyk, gets clinch. More volleys piling up, good right hook. Joshua straight right, Usyk right hook. Big 1-2 from the champ, clinch. Heavy counter 2-3, avoids a clinch. Joshua just wading in, lands a blatant kidney punch. 10-9, 116-112 Usyk. He won this fight.
Final result: Usyk def. Joshua by split decision — WATCH HIGHLIGHTS!
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