Alexander Usyk wins a dramatic rematch against Anthony Joshua to retain his heavyweight title

Anthony Joshua is punched by Oleksandr Usyk during the Rage on the Red Sea Heavyweight Title Fight in Jeddah. The rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua in Jeddah on Saturday ended in a split decision victory for Usyk. He maintained his steely nerve throughout the 12-round fight, dominating Joshua with a series of heavy blows. Before retreating into defeat, Joshua appeared to break Usyk's momentum in the ninth round by landing a series of punches.

As a result, Usyk retained his WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight titles after earning scores of 115-113 and 116-112 from two judges. Saudi Arabia's first female boxing match was won by Ramla Ali against Crystal Garcia Nova of the Dominican Republic. She improved her career record to 7-0 with a first-round knockout.

A headline that summed up the mood of the night was "Rage on the Red Sea," the heavyweight title rematch. He picked up two belts from Usyk and threw them into the ring before returning to the ring to give an impassioned speech in the dressing room after his second consecutive loss."I think you would understand my passion if you knew my story," Joshua said of Usyk. "I tell you this guy beat me tonight, maybe I could have done better, but it shows how hard he must have worked, so please give him a round of applause as our heavyweight champ of the world."."

After his victory, Oleksandr Usyk thanked those who are "defending the country."The conflict in Ukraine, in which Usyk is personally invested, provided the backdrop for Usyk's victory. A few months ago, the 35-year-old returned to his homeland to assist in the war efforts in Kyiv. Despite expressing reluctance at the time, Usyk returned to training and preparation for his fight with Joshua in March.

Usyk said via a translator that he dedicated the victory to his country, his family, his team, all those who defend their country, and the military. I greatly appreciate your help. He added, "This is already history.". "This fight will be witnessed by many generations, especially the round when I (withstood) a hard punch and turned it into an advantage."

A week after Tyson Fury announced he was stepping down from boxing, Usyk made it clear he would like to challenge him. It is my firm belief that Tyson Fury won't retire anytime soon. I am certain that he wants to fight me, so I will fight him," Usyk said. I won't fight if I don't fight Tyson Fury."As a result of his performance on Saturday, Joshua broke down in tears during his post-match press conference.

The idea of being proud of myself is really, really hard for me," he said. "I'm upset from the bottom of my heart."As a result of the match, he also expressed his emotional outburst, explaining, "Some people will not understand when you attempt to do things from the heart.

I knew I was mad at myself. Not at anyone, just myself. I was like I had to get out of here because I was mad." I was mad, but then I realized that sports are all about doing the right thing."Kell Brook and Carl Froch warned Joshua, ahead of the rematch, that he would be doomed if he lost to Usyk a second time. It appears that the 32-year-old isn't ready to hang up his gloves yet, despite the rumors."There is no end to my hunger," he said.