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How Usyk knocked out Anthony Joshua, takes over heavyweight title [PHOTOS]

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Anthony Joshua Oleksandr Usyk

Oleksandr Usyk has defeated British’s Anthony Joshua to claim his WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight titles by unanimous decision.

The supremely confident new champion showcased his enviable ringcraft throughout the fight and, long before the end, Joshua looked dispirited and a little lost.

This happened on Saturday as the judges scored the fight 117-112, 116-112, 115-113 for Usyk.

Fighting in front of 67,000 fans at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Joshua could not dent the unbeaten Ukrainian who is more technical.

Usyk’s smart use of feints and little dips of movement never allowed Joshua to settle and, as the fight unfolded, it was clear that the outgoing champion was struggling. A swelling formed around his left eye and he needed his trainer Robert McCracken to encourage him.

Below are photos from the fight.

TopNaija recalls that Joshua lost for the first time in June 2019, in a shocking stoppage loss to Andy Ruiz Jr, but won the rematch six months later. The big difference now is that, unlike the ill-disciplined and poorly conditioned Ruiz Jr, Usyk has the skill and the resolve to hold on to his new titles for a much more sustained period.

The 34-year-old is a supreme and hardened champion who, on his way to finally scaling the peak of heavyweight boxing, had won testing fights in hostile territories from Riga to Moscow to Manchester – and now the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, where the vast army of supporters for the vanquished Joshua were stunned by the emergence of a new king of heavyweight boxing.

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