Joshua soon returned but, clearly, the 32-year-old’s emotions were still getting the better of him. Having appeared to exchange angry words with Usyk, he then took the microphone and, in front of a crowd of around 10,000 gathered in this venue, delivered a strange monologue. “If you knew my story you would understand the passion,” he said. “I’m not an amateur boxer since I was five years old who was an elite youth prospect. I was going to jail, I got bail and started training my ass, I wanted to be able to fight.” Cue confused silence among the attendees. And more were to follow. “I’m not a 12-round fighter, look at me, I’m a new breed of heavyweight,” Joshua continued. “Mike Tyson, Sonny Liston, Jack Dempsey, ‘you don’t throw combinations like Rocky Marciano,’ I’m 18, I’m heavy, it’s hard work.” Joshua’s speech came with a few curses but also congratulations for the man who had just defeated him. “This guy here is an amazing talent,” he said with his arm around Usyk. “We will cheer him three times.” And the crowd was, however, clearly confused by what was happening. And maybe Joshua didn’t know what he was doing or what he was saying. It definitely felt like something hot of the moment, brought on by a very real sense of hurt and disappointment. “𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍!” 💯 Anthony Joshua takes the mic to vent his frustration before congratulating Oleksandr Usyk 🎤#UsykJoshua2 pic.twitter.com/KPlmjRDm4k — Sky Sports Boxing (@SkySportsBoxing) August 21, 2022 This was to be Joshua’s night of redemption as he reclaimed the WBA, WBO and IBF titles Usyk took from him when the pair met in Tottenham 11 months ago. The Ukrainian was on top that night but, equally, Joshua was disappointed to have made the odd decision to abandon his instincts and instead try to outwork his opponent. It was never going to work and he paid the price. This time the mistake was not to be repeated. Armed with a new trainer in the highly regarded Mexican-American Robert Garcia, Joshua promised to be more aggressive and kept his word, pushing the first round, securing the center of the ring in the second and constantly stinging his opponent with shots, no more so than the ninth round, when the challenger sent the champion running around the ring having unleashed hell. But it was at that point that Usyk showed his class, knocking Joshua back in the 10th with a big left hook and continuing to unload from there. He also dominated the final two rounds and, having impressed heavily throughout the contest, it was no shock when he was declared the winner, the only surprise being that it was via a split decision, with two of the judges giving scores of 115-113 and 116-112 in his favor while the other one judged Joshua the winner with a score of 115-113. Raise the raise of many eyebrows. A questionable call, but one that spoke to the bold display Joshua put on here and ultimately it would be a shame if that was overshadowed by the glimmers of his post-fight gloom. Defeat, a third in 27 professional matches, clearly stung. Joshua had the opportunity to join Muhammad Ali, Lennox Lewis, Vitali Klitschko and Evander Holyfield to become a three-time heavyweight champion. Instead, it remains rudderless in its section and with few trails back to the top. Those pre-match suggestions that this would be the right time to call it a day will grow. ‘I’m upset’: Anthony Joshua breaks down in tears after defeat by Oleksandr Usyk – video For Usyk, meanwhile, a 20th straight two-division win cements his status as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world and puts him in prime position for a stunning unification fight with Tyson Fury if the 34-year-old O The Mancunian has pulled out of his latest retirement, which he suggested he would do on social media shortly after the match. It’s a contest Usyk certainly wants. “I want to fight him and if I don’t fight Tyson Fury, I don’t fight at all,” he said here after paying tribute to the Ukrainian military, something that means a lot to the 35-year-old. He spent time prior to this fight serving in his country’s armed forces as part of their defense against the Russian invasion. Usyk came here determined to give his war-torn homeland a reason to feel pride and joy and to be well and truly liberated. This was Joshua’s second time fighting in Saudi Arabia, following his victory over Andy Ruiz Jr in Diriyah three years ago. As was the case then, both fighters were questioned in the buildup as to how they could possibly justify their participation in an event that was clearly part of the kingdom’s strategy of sports washing. Neither gave particularly satisfactory answers, with Joshua making it clear that he was “here to fight”. No doubt the £33m minimum purse he and Usyk reportedly received for the Middle East rally played a role in both their decisions. And so, eventually, attention turned to the Abdullah Sports City Arena, an impressive venue, but unsuitable for a match of this magnitude given that it only has a capacity for 10,000 spectators. To put that into context, a crowd of 68,000 turned out to see these two fight in north London last year. The rematch clearly deserved a bigger stage, and the downside of not having one was an atmosphere that rarely went beyond polite. To be fair to the crowd here, which included boxing legends Roberto Duran and Naseem Hamed, the volume was pretty lively by the time Joshua and Usyk showed up to fight shortly after 01:00 local time, and they continued to build during an epic encounter. Usyk was initially able to keep Joshua at bay with his southpaw jab, but soon the challenger landed a series of right hands. Usyk responded with some left clubbing in the fourth that forced Joshua back while stunning him with his characteristically slick and smart movement. Quick guide

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Thanks for your response. But Joshua kept coming and connected with two crushing body shots in the sixth, forcing Usyk to the ropes. Once again, however, the champion showed his class by smoothing his way out of trouble and peppering Joshua with punches from a variety of angles. The seventh and eighth rounds were largely even and then came the ninth as Joshua exploded, using his superior size and strength to the full to rock the man in front of him. It looked like a shock victory was on the cards, but then Usyk did what he does best – taking control of a match through a combination of superb technique and relentless ferocity. In the end his victory was beyond doubt, something Joshua, in his most unique fashion, also had to accept.