Oleksander Usyk v Anthony Joshua (12 x three-minute rounds)
11:06am - Here comes the decision...Oleksander Usyk wins via split decision. Click here for a full wrap and highlights.
Round 12 - Usyk comes out firing again. AJ may need a KO to win this. Tags Usyk with a left. Usyk with a picturesque three-punch combo punctuated by a right hook. Big left hook from Joshua! Usyk counters with a left. Usyk ducks the right and delivers a big one-two. That will do it! Usyk should have done enough to have his hand raised.
Round 11 - Penultimate round, I have this bout all locked up at five rounds each. Usyk with a cracking right hook. Evades AJ's reply and goes back to the body. Usyk firing to the head, Joshua to the body where he's been very effective. Usyk through the guard with the jab, his volume has skyrocketed. Great round for Usyk.
Round 10 - Usyk with a huge left hand! Follows with a flurry of shots that find their target, Joshua is hurting. AJ with a big right! Usyk rocked, thought that was low. Usyk racking up the shots now, great response after a big AJ round in the ninth. Usyk rains blows as the round comes to an end. Huge round for the champ.
Round nine - Four rounds apiece on my card, as we enter the business rounds. Joshua lands with the right, countered by Usyk. Uppercut by AJ. Usyk's movement seems to be fading, those body shots may be taking their toll. Joshua on the charge! Usyk on the run and eating several shots for his troubles. Best round of the fight for AJ.
Round eight - Usyk starting to dictate the pace of the bout now, dangerous times for Joshua. Joshua back to the body with some heavy shots, he's had much more success there than in the first fight. Usyk goes to the head then to the body. Beautiful three-punch combo to the body from Joshua, best shots of the fight from the Brit. Both men exchange shots as the round closes. AJ's round, I'd say.
Round seven - Usyk moving well, tags Joshua with a left. Joshua staying firmly behind his jab. Usyk attacks the body with success. Sharp left hand snaps Joshua's head back, then he dishes out a repeat dose. Usyk batting away Joshua's lead hand and going back to the body. Usyk's round on my card.
Round six - Joshua upping the work rate but struggling to find his mark. Takes Usyk to the ropes and unleashes a series of body shots. Snapping right hook from Usyk around AJ's guard. Upstairs, downstairs by Usyk, beautiful combination. Close round there, may edge that for AJ.
Round five - Close bout thus far, I have it two rounds apiece. Usyk getting his feet going, finding really effective angles and making Joshua pay. Low blow from AJ, Usyk takes a moment to compose himself. Lovely counter jab from Usyk, Joshua finding it more difficult to find his opponent now. Ferocious left hand from Usyk. He's building nicely here. Should be his round.
Round four - Usyk come off his stool firing as an 'Usyk!' chant breaks out in the crowd. Pressing forward, lands a couple of body shots in the clinch. Left hand coming much more often now, one finds its target. AJ goes to the body with the counter. Usyk changing levels with success, he's increased his volume in this round. Another big left to finish, should be one in his column.
Round three - Joshua to the centre, ramping up his aggression. Heavy right hand tags Usyk. The Brit has found a steady rhythm here, looks much springier on his feet. Usyk tentaive with his dangerous left hand so far. There goes one, huge counter left stings Joshua. Usyk getting busier now, making his adjustments. Left hook for Joshua, eats one of his own as the round ends. A tight one, may have been edged by AJ.
Round two - Solid straight right from Joshua to start. Left jab lands for the Brit, goes to the body. Usyk responds with a body shot of his own. Joshua looks much more assured with his movement, not biting on Usyk's feints as much as he did in the first bout. Right down the pipe to close a good round for the challenger.
Round one - Joshua takes the centre early. Both fighters measuring their range with the jab. Usyk breaches the defence with the jab, then goes to the body. Follows with a straight left. Uppercut finds its mark. Usyk closes with a left to seal the opening round.
10:12am - Buffer launches into his trademark catch cry and dispenses with the introductions. The formalities are over, let's get into the action.
10:08am - Anthems are underway. Usyk and his corner stand tall with hands on hearts as they belt it out for Ukraine.
10:04am - Usyk follows closely behind him, decked out in the colours of his beloved Ukraine. He's carrying the weight of a nation on his shoulders today.
10am - The challenger Joshua makes his way to the middle first at Jeddah in theatrical fashion, sans entourage. It's all business today for the Brit, who'll need a huge turnaround in form to get past the Ukrainian.
9:55am - Michael Buffer takes to the middle of the ring and declares the party ready to be started. It's official, people.
9:50am - Hrgovic escapes with a tight decision win.
That brings us to the fight we've all been waiting for. Ring walks shouldn't be too far away now.
9:15am - We're halfway through the co-main event between Filip Hrgovic and Zhilei Zhang. We're probably looking at Usyk and Joshua making their ring walks around 10:15am.
8am - Mōrena, fight fans!
Callum Smith has just blitzed Mathieu Bauderlique in the fourth round of their light heavyweight showdown.
We'll have one more bout before our main event, which isn't scheduled to take place until around 10am. Grab yourself a coffee (or two) and check in with us shortly.
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Kia ora and welcome to our live updates of the heavyweight blockbuster between champion Oleksander Usyk and Anthony Joshua in Jeddah.
Usyk stunned the boxing world with his 12-round dismantling of Joshua to win the IBF, WBA and WBO belts back in September.
The Briton will be out for redemption against Usyk, who has come directly from fighting on the frontlines for his beloved Ukraine against the invading Russians.
The main event is expected to start at approximately 10:15am (NZ time).
TAB betting odds:
Oleksander Usyk - $1.53 Anthony Joshua - $2.62
Fight card:
- Oleksandr Usyk v Anthony Joshua for WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight titles
- Filip Hrgovic v Zhilei Zhang; IBF world heavyweight title eliminator
- Callum Smith v Mathieu Bauderlique; Light heavyweight
- Badou Jack v Richard Rivera; Cruiserweight
- Ziyad Almaayouf v Jose Alatorre; Super lightweight
- Ramla Ali v Crystal Garcia Nova; Women's super bantamweight
- Andrew Tabiti v James Wilson; Heavyweight
- Ben Whittaker v Petar Nosic; Light heavyweight
- Daniel Lapin v Jozef Jurko; Light heavyweight
- Rashed Belhasa v Traycho Georgiev; TBA
- Bader Al Samreen vs. Faud Taverdi; Super lightweight
Usyk, Joshua tip scales at weigh-in for heavyweight boxing rematch in Saudi Arabia
Ukraine's defending world champion Oleksandr Usyk and British challenger Anthony Joshua hit the scales heavier than before, ahead of their heavyweight title rematch in Saudi Arabia this weekend.
Usyk weighed in at 100.5kg, barely changed from before although still the heaviest of his career, while Joshua was 110.9kg - almost two kg more than when he lost the titles last September in London.
Former undisputed cruiserweight world champion Usyk had been expected to bulk up considerably for his first defence of the WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO belts in Jeddah.
"You see, your expectations are not always met," the unbeaten champion said unsmilingly when asked if he had been tricking everyone ahead of the 'Rage on the Red Sea' clash.
British bookmaker William Hill has Usyk as the favourite, with 80 percent of customers backing the Ukrainian to win by knockout or stoppage.
Usyk is also carrying the hopes of a nation, one scarred by battle and fighting a real war for survival after Russia's invasion, while another defeat for Joshua would pose big questions about his future.
The 32-year-old Joshua may not be heading into retirement if he loses again but his days of big-money title fights could be over.
"It’s up to me at the end of the day, it’s not up to anyone else what I do with my career," Joshua told reporters this week, as retirement questions were asked.
"I don’t have to do this. Why do I do it? It’s because it’s all I know."
Victory might be enough to make WBC champion Tyson Fury rethink his retirement, opening up the prospect of an all-British showdown for the unified title in what would be box office gold.
Reuters.
