Oleksandr Usyk defeats Anthony Joshua to keep the heavyweight championships.

Oleksandr Usyk defeats Anthony Joshua to keep the heavyweight championships.

In a split decision on Saturday, Oleksandr Usyk defeated Anthony Joshua to retain his IBF, IBO, WBA (Super), and WBO belts.

Joshua won the fight by scores of 115–113, 115–113, and 116–112 according to the judges.

Joshua who was not pleased with the result got close to leaving the arena after throwing two of the belts on the ground and asking Usyk, “You are not skilled, how did you beat me?”

He, however, returned to the ring, grabbed the microphone, and asked the crowd to applaud Usyk.

He went ahead to say, “Usyk is one hell of a fighter. That’s just emotion.

“If you knew my story, you’d understand the passion. I’m not an amateur boxer. I was going to jail and I got bail and I started training. If I got sentenced, I wanted to be able to fight.

“It shows the passion we put into this. For this guy to beat me tonight, it shows the levels of hard work he must have put in so please give him a round of applause as heavyweight champion of the world.

“They said that I’m not a 12-round fighter. I ain’t 14 stone, I’m 18 stone, I’m heavy. It’s hard work. This guy here is phenomenal.”

Speaking directly to, he said: “I was studying Ukraine and all the champions from your amazing country. I’ve never been there. What’s happening there, I don’t know but it’s not nice. For Usyk to be champion, under those circumstances, please raise your hands.”