Oleksandr Usyk outpoints Anthony Joshua to retain heavyweight championship

Oleksandr Usyk retained his three heavyweight titles with a split decision victory over Anthony Joshua in their rematch on Saturday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

One judge scored the bout for Joshua, 115-113, but was overruled by tallies of 115-113 and 116-112 in favor of Usyk, who defeated Joshua for a second time.

Joshua, who entered the ring as champion when the two met in September in London, fared far better in the return bout under the guidance of new trainer Robert Garcia, but it still wasn't enough.

Usyk, 35, kept his WBA, WBO and IBF belts six months after serving in the Ukrainian army as part of the country's defense against Russia's invasion.

Read full fight recap here ...

Round 12: Joshua had some of his best moments of the fight with few powerful shots that caught Usyk's attention as he pressed for the KO, but the champ absorbed the shots and kept throwing with ferocity, outhustling Joshua to close the fight strong. Close round. 10-9, Usyk. 116-112, Usyk.

Round 11: Joshua has his moments with the body shots again, but Usyk far sharper. He was able to slide around AJ and connect to the head over and over. One round remaining. 10-9, Usyk. 106-103, Usyk.

Round 10: Usyk responds with an even bigger round than Joshua had in the ninth. Had Joshua in some trouble after he let his hands go with power combo after power combo. AJ was able to fend him off with a big counter right but Usyk kept pushing after. 10-9, Usyk. 96-94, Usyk.

Round 9: Joshua with a huge round! Usyk in big trouble here. Joshua finally hurt Usyk to the body and followed up as the champ was reeling with a bundle of big shots to the head. Could be the turning point. 10-9, Joshua. 86-85, Usyk.

Round 8: Joshua with some beautiful body work. Connected on a