Oleksandr Usyk beats Anthony Joshua to take three Heavyweight title belts

Oleksandr Usyk stunned Anthony Joshua Saturday with a victory by unanimous, shaking up the heavyweight division while claiming three heavyweight title belts — WBA, WBO and IBF — at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in England.

All three judges scored the fight in Usyk’s favor, 117-112, 116-112, 115-113.

Usyk, the Ukranian who improved to 19-0, moves into position for a possible showdown against the winner of the Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder fight Oct. 9.

Joshua (25-2) suffered his second defeat in the past four fights, having lost to Andy Ruiz by TKO in 2019 before beating Ruiz by unanimous decision in their rematch later in the year and then knocking out Kubrat Pulev of Bulgaria in 2020.

Here’s how the match unfolded:

First Round – Joshua quick to the center of the ring. Exchanging of punches, but nothing notable yet. Still circling at the center of the ring. Joshua unleashes a right. Usyk backs up but no damage. Usky using his left, but not to any great effect yet. Usyk, the more active fighter, lands a couple of shots, but Joshua not backing away. Usyk lands as straight. Seems to have Joshua off balance. Usky 10, Joshua 9.

Second Round – Boxers back to the center of the ring and active. Usyk throws lefts and rights. Nothing stinging, but they’re still landing. Joshua has yet to unleash any powerful punches. Seems to be waiting for the right opportunity. Maybe too much waiting to win this round. Another solid left by Usyk. Hard right by Joshua. But back comes Usyk with a left. Usyk 20, Joshua 18.