SportsRatings: Boxing/MMA

#4 Joe Joyce vs. Zhilie Zhang round-by-round scoring

4th ranked and undefeated Joe Joyce takes on Olympic silver medalist Zhilie Zhang. Zhang is currently #88 after a loss and draw in his last 4 fights. He's still a big threat with a big punch but Joyce, an Olympic silver medalist himself, has the big advantage in durability and stamina as he lives up to his nickname, The Juggernaut. He's a -1100 favorite, which seems a bit excessive but he should definitely be the favorite. Both fighters are 6 feet, 6 inches tall.

Round-by-round scoring for the 12 round fight:

1. Early feeling out for the first minute. Good shots from Zhang, landing some hard punches in the middle of the round which is really his only chance—the longer the fight goes the more Joyce will be favored. Good shot to the body for Zhang. Joyce is unfazed and continues his high output but not connecting much. Joyce hanging back a little bit though. Zhang 10-9
2. Joyce respecting Zhang's 80 inch reach which is equal to Joyce's. Good exchange early in the round. Joyce relentless with activity. Great counter 1-2 by Zhang. Huge left from Zhang! Joyce is stunned and stumbles around the ring a bit but stays up. Ref separates and restarts them and Joyce recovers. Joyce back to the activity late in the round, Zhang looks a bit tired. Zhang 10-9; 20-18 
3. Joyce starting with high workrate to not let Zhang get anyting in, Zhang goes to the body, gets a right in but 90% of activity is Joyce. Zhang fading a bit it seems with a minute left. Zhang gets a few lefts in, and another one late but Joyce is unfazed. Much better round for Joyce 10-9; 29-28 Zhang
4. Joyce stepping up pace, mostly jabs hitting Zhang's arms but staying relentless. Zhang's output is very slight midway through, though he gets some lefts in still. 1-2 left right from Zhang scores, Joyce keeps the pressure up. Another few shots from Zhang but activity probably wins a close round for Joyce 10-9; 38-38
5. Joyce really speedy as round 5 starts, going to the head and body. Counter left from Zhang is almost his first punch after more than half a minute. Big left from Zhang, multiple punches from Joyce though. Joyce's face looks far worse though as Zhang's punches are connecting unimpeded. Activity probably wins that for Joyce, too, but it's even closer than last round, and he doesn't look great, especially Joyce's right eye. Joyce 10-9; 48-47 Joyce
6. The ref checks Joyce's eye, and he passes the test but things get serious as there's no guarantee he's winning the fight. Good short right from Zhang. Joyce continues relentless punching, but Zhang comes alive with 4 or 5 good strikes and the doctor is checking the eye again. Joyce answers correctly 2 finger and 1 finger, but the fight is STOPPED! And Zhang wins the TKO on doctor's decision!

Wow. Joe Joyce's legendary durability cost him, as he remained unfazed by most of Zhang's shots, but you can have a great chin but no one has a "great eye" and the damage was enough for the doctor to stop the fight.

Zhang, only #88 in SportsRatings' top 100, will jump into the top 10 for the first time in his career. Joyce will fall to just outside the top 10. 

#6 Joe Joyce vs. #7 Joseph Parker round-by-round scoring: Winner gets top 5

Joe Joyce, Olympic Silver Medalist, takes on #7 Joseph Parker in Manchester, England. The winner will break into the top 5 for the first time. Joyce is 14-0-0 and Parker is 30-2-0 with losses only to Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte.

Bout is set to begin in minutes.

Round-by-round scoring:

1. Jabs and dipping for body shots from both right away. Joyce as usual is working the jab, getting some in, gentle jabs. More jabs from Joyce and Parker hooking to the body in return. Parker leaps forward and scores to the head. Parker moves forward again but Joyce returns with a big 1-2. Big right by Parker is blocked. Close but maybe a little bit more by Joyce. Joyce 10-9
2. Joyce walking Parker down but Parker lunges out of it punching himself. Joyce chases Parker down and scores. Good comeback from Parker. Big shots from both, interesting back and forth, decent punches but neither is hurt. Parker gets against the ropes and circles out. Both had their moments. 10-10; Joyce 20-19
3. Joyce remains busy, coming forward, Parker waiting more on his strikes. Good left by Joyce backs Parker up. Joyce eats everything Parker has and returns fire and he has Parker leaning over and scrambling. Still 1:30 left in the round. Good uppercut by Parker, Joyce doesn't flinch. Parker catches Joyce coming in, has a much better last 30 seconds but it's still Joyce's round. 10-9; Joyce 30-28
4. Joyce looks a bit more tentative now, not walking down as much. Parker with lunging big punch to get out of the corner again, Joyce with dozens of smaller punches. Good stiff right from Parker. Joyce staying farther away this round, trying to time Parker's counters, gets hit by another one. Two big rights by Parker, one misses completely, the other slightly connects. Parker connected with the harder shots Parker 10-9; Joyce 39-38
5. Joyce peppering away flustering Parker over the first minute. Parker hasn't had his power shots this round, isn't trying as many or connecting, except for one low blow. Parker lunges out and they trade in the center of the ring. Joyce's volume wins this one. Joyce 10-9; Joyce 49-47
6. Joyce really coming after Parker this round right off the bell. Unloading the big shots for a full minute, lots of damage. Parker looked bad for a bit but looks like he's holding up well, Joyce slowing down a bit. Parker gets in a few counters as Joyce slows down.  But Joyce doesn't stop. Joyce 10-9; Joyce 59-56
7. Parker connects early with burst of energy, Joyce is undaunted. Parker whiffs with big uppercut. Joyce peppering him with volume of small punches. Joyce clinches him against ropes for a small rest, but he's right back to the volume, has Parker against the ropes again. Parker hanging on. Parker is cut bad, now both are winging punches. Joyce 10-9; 69-65
8. Joyce pressing the action, Parker fighting back with desperation. Trading big shots. Joyce very systematic with his approach, Parker more unpredictable. Both slow down after the minute mark. Good shots from Parker but Joyce comes back strong. Parker comes back too. Parker fighting to survive with the cut, Joyce pushing for the stoppage but neither fighter has been wobbled all fight. Parker clearly falling farther behind. Joyce 10-9; 79-74.
9. Parker's occasional counters just aren't fazing Joyce, who keeps moving forward. Huge uppercut from Parker is completely ignored by Joyce who goes on the attack immediately. Both load up for huge shots and both miss. Parker walking in circles to get away from Joyce. Better round from Parker but did he really win it? not really. 10-10; Joyce 89-84
10. Fighting in the pocket a minute in, head to head trading uppercut attempts. Joyce keeping up the volume once they separate. Big lunging shot from Parker is blocked. Parker times Joyce's entry well and gets some good work in. Funny end with both clowning. Another close one, if Parker gets these with the judges he has a chance 10-10; Joyce 99-94
11. Joyce going for it big like he did in round six. He slows down after a minute. Then a HUGE left from Joyce puts Parker down, and he's not getting up, even if he had he was totally out. JOYCE BY KO

Incredible last round by Joyce, the first 30 seconds of round 11 tired Parker out, setting him up for the huge KO punch. He hadn't been hurt by Parker all day, and his corner decided it was time to just go for broke, knowing he would hurt Parker much more than he would get hurt.

Through 10 round we had Joyce up 5 rounds, but with 3 10-10 rounds it could have been close, and with 2 rounds left it could have been a very close affair. But Joyce decided to go for the sprint finish.

Joyce was ahead by 2, 3, and 5 rounds, pretty close to mine, which would be 2, 5, and 8 giving the 10-10 rounds to either fighter.

This is the finish I expected—a Joyce win, not necessarily by KO—because the winner was set to jump ahead of Anthony Joshua in our ratings, and it wouldn't make good sense to have Parker ahead of Joshua. Joyce, on the other hand, is undefeated and this win—the first stoppage of Joseph Parker—shows he deserves a high ranking. He'll move up to #4, his highest ranking yet.

Oleksandr Usyk vs. Anthony Joshua II: Live Round-by-Round Scoring

SportsRatings #2 Oleksandr Usyk vs. #3 Anthony Joshua fighting in Saudi Arabia in a rematch of their fight from last September where Usyk took Joshua's belts.

Usyk is 19-0-0 mostly at cruiserweight where he unified the belts; he's a gold medalist at heavyweight

Joshua is 24-2-0 as a pro after winning the gold in the super heavyweight division in the 2012 Olympics. He avenged his loss to Andy Ruiz Jr. and now attempts to do the same against Usyk.

Neither would earn the SportsRatings belt with a win as Tyson Fury's "retirement" doesn't count; he's still considered "active" and neither is within striking distance of his rating. The winner will be ranked #2 in our system.

Round by Round scoring:

• Round One: Joshua looking so far like he's boxing "clean" rather than making it dirty, at least at the very early going. Jab from Joshua. Lots of pawing by Usyk. Kind of a stalemate right now at range. Good lunging punch by Usyk. Big clinch with pressure applied by Joshua, broken up by the ref. Like many first rounds, not enough happened to be used to decide the fight. 10-10
• Round Two: More of the chess match at range to start. Both are active, almost hyper by heavyweight standards, but not connecting with anything. Feigns all around. Joshua blocks Usyk's combo. Weak body shot by Joshua. Decent hook. Another decent hook by Joshua. Body shot by Joshua. Joshua not allowing openings so far. Jabbing as he moves forward. 1-2 by Usyk with a return by Joshua. 10-9 Joshua; 20-19
• Round Three: Joshua staying contained and careful. Usyk buzzing around him, but having some trouble with range so far. Some inside wrestling the ref allowed them to work it out. Joshua uppercut misses and Usyk connects with a straight shot. Inconclusive round, hopefully there aren't too many of these: 10-10; Joshua 30-29
• Round Four: Usyk comes out aggressively, backs off to buzzing around mode again. He's very hard to hit but Joshua's defense is solid too, not many shots of consequence getting through despite pretty high work rate. Usyk taking more chances now in the 4th, mixing it up more. AJ goes to the body. Hits Usyk's gloves hard. Constant head movement from Usyk, who connects with a good hook and good combo followup. He's throwing more actual punches this round instead of feigns and pawing. Good lunging punch to end the round. 10-9 Usyk; 39-39
• Round Five: Usyk connects, as does AJ. Good back and forth his round in the first minute. Body shot from AJ is low and the round is paused midway. Good bodyshot from AJ this time. Both are feigning a lot. Even round after 2 mins. More feigns and little action in the last minute. Another 10-10; 49-49. The scores might be all over the place.
• Round Six: AJ gets in a short shot after a lot of patience with Usyk's head movement. Lots of work for not much gain and Usyk gets it back. AJ trying to walk him down and has him against the ropes for a moment. Usyk pushes his way out to the center. AJ backing him up now but Usyk comes back swinging, mostly blocked by AJ. Another tough round to score but Joshua had the only brief moment of scoring. Joshua 10-9; 59-58
• Round Seven: AJ wrestles Usyk again then holds his head while punching, he's finally trying to make a "dirty" fight out of it as many expected. Swings a bit wild in chasing Usyk's movement. Good jab by Joshua. Both fighters missing most of the time still, or getting blocked. Lots of whiffs at the end. Once again I'm punting, to reflect how wide the scoring difference might be. 10-10; Joshua 69-68
• Round Eight: They're having trouble with the ring being wet like in the last fight. Stiff jab by Usyk. Good body shot by AJ. Three lefts in a row by Usyk connect, another body shot by AJ. Several head shots by Usyk, a big return by AJ. Volume certainly in Usyk favor, but body shots are bothering Usyk. Usyk is now getting through regularly, though nothing is hurting AJ yet. But he's slowing AJ down. They're really trading at the end in a fitful round. Usyk 10-9; 78-78
• Round Nine: Starting to think the Ukraine judge will have a wide UD for Usyk, the UK judge the same for AJ, and the other judge call it a draw. AJ is hunting Usyk now. AJ grabs back of Usyk's head again and delivers body shots. AJ gets thru with a few shots then ties him up. Close range fighting  and AJ is going nuts, uppercuts and back of head shots, but he has Usyk in some trouble late in the round. Usyk spins away and resets and evades. Joshua's best round despite some questionable downward blows 10-9; Joshua 88-87
• Round Ten: Usyk very active to start the round. not letting Joshua capitalize on last round. A minute in he's doing some good work and has AJ a bit flustered, peppering him with quick shots. Big counter from AJ has Usyk stunned, AJ wrestles him though and ref intervenes. Great uppercut from Usyk but AJ takes it well. Now Usyk is adding the volume; Joshua looks tired now. A flurry by Usyk has AJ standing still. This round looked a lot like the previous fight. Usyk 10-9; 97-97
• Round Eleven: Usyk using his speed to confuse Joshua, who has tired but still gets in the body shots. Usyk is loading up on volume, Joshua going for the big shots. Back and forth round. Good jab by Usyk. More combos by Usyk. AJ is looking flustered like last fight, being outboxed. 10-9 Usyk; 107-106 Usyk
• Round Twelve: Big effort from both fighters at the start. Usyk sticking and moving as Joshua lunges in. The speed difference is notable now. Joshua catches Usyk with a left hook and two followups. Joshua stumbles as if going for a takedown against the ropes. Joshua jumps in and clinches again, twice trying to wrestle, a completely desparate move. Usyk is winning the boxing portion of the round though. AJ's attempts on making the fight dirty started way too late. This looks desperate by AJ and won't be well-received by the judges. Usyk 10-9; Usyk 117-115

Our score includes *four* 10-10 rounds, meaning we could have a split decision with AJ winning one card 115-113, and losing one card very wide, 117-111. The decisive card from our result would be 115-113 Usyk assuming no 10-10 rounds.

The judges say: 115-113 Joshua; 115-113 Usyk; and 116-112 Usyk, almost exactly what our scoring determined after apportioning the 10-10 rounds to each or splitting them.

Though Joshua did much better in this fight the result was largely the same, and he loses two in a row and is no longer one of the very top tier names in the heavyweight division. Now it's Fury and Usyk and everyone else.

Joshua is really leading the charge to celebrate Usyk's win, makes one wonder what his future plans are.

Filip Hrgovic vs. Zhilei Zhang Live Round-by-Round Scoring

The penultimate fight prior to Joshua-Uysk II is #14 Filip Hrgovic vs. #55 Zhilei Zhang. Both fighters are Olympic medalists and undefeated in the pros, and both stand 6' 6". Hrgovic is the younger fighter by 7 years.

Hrgovic (14-0-0) won a Bronze medal in the 2016 Olympics and has a perfect record so far. Lately he's been less than active and some think he's regressed, but he remains a feared prospect, turned down by many prospective opponents.

Zhang (24-0-1) won a Silver medal in the 2012 Olympics. He recently fought Jerry Forrest to a draw which put the only blemish on his otherwise perfect pro record. 

Round-by-round scoring:

• Round One: Good shot from Hrgovic as the fighters stand at a distance appropriate to their height. Hrgovic mostly doing more work until a minute left when Zhang lands a right hook to the ear that knocks Hrgovic down and makes the round easy to score. Hrgovic looks mostly recovered by the end of the round but already a surprise. 10-8 Zhang
• Round Two: Hrgovic back to the jab, both looking casual as they did most of the last round. Hrgovic more active but Zhang picking his spots as he pushes in for a combo. Huge right from Hrgovic but Zhang takes it well. Another combo rocks Zhang who doesn't have time to set for his slower attack, but he forces his way inside for a combo. Hrgovic's attack is starting to wear on Zhang by the end of the round. 10-9 Hrgovic; 19-18 Zhang.
• Round Three: Accidental clash of heads early as Zhang rushes inside, causing a bad cut on Hrgovic in the hairline...they're resetting. Good. Good jab by Zhang but Hrgovic returns a few of his own. Zhang's rushing attacks are bothering Hrgovic but other than that, Hrgovic is controlling the ring. Both are covering up well but throwing pretty hard shots too. Pretty even round but Hrgovic probably takes it. 10-9 Hrgovic; 28-28
• Round Four: Combo from Hrgovic. Zhang has the center though and stalks him. Good solid 1-2 from Hrgovic. Zhang is taking everything well so far, and just when it looks like he's getting a bit overwhelmed he returns fire and backs Hrgovic up. Great uppercut from Zhang. Both are looking a bit tired now, they've both taken hard shots, even if most have been blocked. Zhang has Hrgovic in corner; the ref calls break every time Zhang gets inside. Another close round with back and forth but Hrgovic is more active, even if Zhang had the best punch of the round. 10-9 Hrgovic; 38-37 Hrgovic
• Round Five: Dull first minute, then Hrgovic starts to outwork Zhang again. He's faster and is staying out of reach when not punching. Zhang starting to look tired in the last minute. Zhang needs another punch like he had in the first round but he's done nothing this round. Until the final seconds when he has a great counter that stuns Hrgovic. But it's too little too late. 10-9 Hrgovic; 48-46 Hrgovic
• Round Six: Zhang is just wandering into range and getting pummeled. The difference here is not as much skill as age and shape. But Zhang is having a moment in the middle of the round, hitting Hrgovic and chasing him around. Hrgovic clinches and both are tired. No holding at all is being allowed though, not for even a second. Zhang has Hrgovic in the corner again as the round ends. 10-9 Zhang; Hrgovic 57-56
• Round Seven: Both look tired to start the 7th. Big shots from Hrgovic early. Huge punch from Hrgovic and Zhang takes it but that was a potential knockdown against most people. Zhang has slowed down a lot after last round's activity. He's a step slow too as Hrgovic conects with a big left hook. Zhang has done nothing in the first two minutes and tries to clinch which is immediately shut down by the ref. Hrgovic is hardly energetic but he's doing all the work this round. 10-9 Hrgovic; 67-65
• Round Eight: False start to the round gives both an extra breather. Great counter by Zhang as Hrgovic comes in but it doesn't have an effect, and now Hrgovic is stepping it up. Most of his punches are blocked by Zhang's peek-a-boo guard but they're adding up, and he goes to the body too. Zhang isn't firing back either, making things easy for Filip. Zhang has nothing on his pawing punches, making Hrgovic smell blood. Another clinch for 1/2 second. Zhang isn't running though, he's standing right in front which isn't a great strategy if he's not throwing. 10-9 Hrgovic; 77-74
• Round Nine: More confusion at the start of this round. Both fighters are slow at the start but Hrgovic is trying to pick his shots better I think. Wet spots on the canvas, which delayed both the last two rounds, are causing some slipping and the action is stopped. Squeaky shoes might lead to a slip here. Now it's Hrgovic trying to hold, it seems he's using a lot of energy trying to put Zhang away and is getting a bit tired. Zhang is at least firing back this round and he has another good moment near the end of the round, not letting Hrgovic off the hook. Great late round from Zhang 10-9; Hrgovic 86-84
• Round Ten: Scoring might be interesting here now. Let's see if Zhang has anything left after his late flurry. Hrgovic keeping him at bay so far. Neither fighter is particularly spry right now but Hrgovic is lighter on his feet for sure. Combos from Hrgovic but not much is landing flush. Zhang looks spent, tries to clinch but we know that's not allowed today. Hrgovic pummeling away at Zhang who shuffles back and resets, not throwing back at all. He gets in one good punch late but clear round for Hrgovic 10-9; 96-93
• Round Eleven: Zhang's big lunge one minute in doesn't land, and that might be all he tries this round. Otherwise Hrgovic is pounding away. He's getting frustrated clearly, and he jumps in and hooks Zhang's neck before the re steps in. Now Zhang is trying to have another big moment but it's not quite as big as the other two. Hrgovic is staying away for a bit but moves back in to unload. Zhang has gone down from an apparent slip at the end of the round. 10-10; Hrgovic 106-103
• Round Twelve: Hrgovic wants the stoppage this round and is putting everything into it. Zhang's face is looking puffy but he's staying upright. Now Hrgovic is slowing down to try to pick his shots and he has Zhang in the corner who clinches. Zhang's lack of firing back has hurt him the whole fight. He almost repeats the ear-hook from round one but it misses. Huge body shot by Hrgovic. Zhang clinches again. 30 seconds left and Hrgovic wants to unload. Zhang runs away at the end to avoid any possibility of KO. Hrgovic 10-9; Hrgovic 116-112

From my perspective it's a pretty clear Hrgovic win, but other "scorecards" I've seen around the web suggest a closer result, so who knows. The early rounds for Hrgovic might have gone to Zhang which would make it close, but from the middle on he really only clearly won two rounds. 

The judges say: 115-112, 115-112, 114-113 for Hrgovic

A bit closer than my score but all the same, a close but clear win for Hrgovic. But something tells me that no one will be shaking in their boots in fear of Hrgovic after this fight; he's far too easy to hit and got himself in trouble on three separate occasions. Many top fighters might have ducked him, but I doubt that will be such a big problem in the future. And neither Joshua or Usyk looks to have that much to worry about if he's their next foe.

As for Zhang? He loses his perfect record and really, his career management is to blame. He waited until age 37 for a true step-up fight, wasting several years fighting nobodies even before the pandemic. He could have had a much better career and probably deserved it; now he looks too old and slow to make an impact, even if he was impressive at times against Hrgovic and certainly durable.

Heavyweight Boxing Top 10 update for October 10, 2021

With the big fights we had over the weekend, we're going to jump the gun and update the monthly Top 100 a bit early to reflect the results. Tyson Fury is of course the big news, capturing the SportsRatings Heavyweight belt yet again.

Fury first captured the belt on November 28, 2015 when he beat Wladimir Klitschko. He held it as the rematch loomed but ultimately never came and Fury went inactive on November 29, 2016—making then-#4 Deontay Wilder the interim champ as #2 Klitschko and #3 Alex Povetkin were also inactive.

Fury's comeback bout with Sefer Seferi didn't register as a rated fight, so it wasn't until he beat Francesco Pianeta on August 18, 2018 that he regained the belt. He had remained at the #1 spot all along but the interim belt was held by Wilder, Povetkin, and Anthony Joshua for almost two years. And just one month after Fury regained the title, Joshua beat Povetkin to claim the belt himself!

Fury had a chance to reclaim the belt against Deontay Wilder in December of 2018 but that fight was an infamous draw. Instead, he regained the belt in an unusual manner: when Andy Ruiz Jr upset Joshua on June 1, 2019, Ruiz only jumped to #2, making Fury the belt holder instead! He held it through his wins over Tom Schwarz (non-rated) and Otto Wallin, but when Joshua beat Ruiz in the rematch in December of 2019 he regained the belt again. That's three times holding the belt for Fury, twice for Joshua at this point.

But it wasn't long before Fury struck again, beating Wilder in their rematch on February 22, 2020 and grabbing the belt for the fourth time. Of course we know what happened next: Fury vs. Joshua was all but a done deal when Wilder invoked the rematch clause, the fight was scheduled, then delayed, and in February of 2021 Fury lost the belt again due to inactivity.

Joshua missed a chance to reclaim it last month vs. Oleksandr Usyk, who jumped to #2 behind Fury, then just last weekend, October 9, 2021, Fury took the belt for the 5th time. In total he lost the belt twice purely for inactivity, and twice being jumped over on rating points by Anthony Joshua.

SportsRatings Heavyweight Boxing Top 10 for fights through October 9, 2021

-3 yrs	-1 yr	-6 mo	Oct Rank	Rank	Fighter	Rating	Rated Record	October 1-9 results
2	1	1	1	1	TYSON FURY	52.41	19-0-1	KO 11 #5 DEONTAY WILDER
--	24	24	2	2	OLEKSANDR USYK	35.64	3-0-0
1	2	2	3	3	ANTHONY JOSHUA	33.42	17-2-0
6	9	4	4	4	DILLIAN WHYTE	26.35	14-2-0
38	5	5	6	5	ANDY RUIZ JR	24.71	14-2-0
--	14	11	11	6	FRANK SANCHEZ	20.66	5-0-0	UD 10 #9 EFE AJAGBA
4	4	6	7	7	ALEX POVETKIN	19.59	30-3-1	--last rated win -14 months.
47	27	8	8	8	JOE JOYCE	18.20	8-0-0
26	13	9	10	9	JOSEPH PARKER	17.95	18-2-0
3	3	3	5	10	DEONTAY WILDER	17.82	18-2-1	L KO 11 #1 TYSON FURY

Deontay Wilder drops from #5 to #10. He's been winless for two years now as both rematches played out. Most would argue he did better this time, and really, the third fight was sort of a combination of the first two—Wilder almost knocked Fury out, and Fury bullied Wilder into submission. His career from this point on will be interesting.

The other big winner of the weekend was Frank Sanchez, who won a decision over previously unbeated Efe Ajagba and jumped from #11 to #6. He showed good skill—and experience—in neutralizing Ajagba's size and power advantage to hand him his first loss. It gives confidence that he might be able to handle the size of some of the giants in the top ten, but all of them have a lot more experience than Ajagba. A fight with #9 Joseph Parker or Ruiz might be interesting, or #4 Dillian Whyte—but Whyte deserves a title shot not yet another eliminator.

Where does this leave the heavyweight division? Well, Wilder is out of the picture for a while at least. Fury is in, and with luck will fight the winner of the Joshua-Usyk rematch. Again, Dillian Whyte has been waiting years, so why not Fury-Whyte in the UK?

Tyson Fury - Deontay Wilder III Round-by-round scoring

#1 Tyson Fury vs. #5 Deontay Wilder for the undisputed SportsRatings Heavyweight championship. 

Round-by-round scoring will follow the prelims. For coverage of Ajagba-Sanchez and Helenius-Kownacki see this post.

Entrances are done, fight is starting within minutes.

• Round One: Quick body jabs from Wilder. 3rd body jab. 4th. 1-2 to the body, he's really focusing on the body, now he goes upstairs and connects. Very active, Fury not throwing yet. More body jabs, unexpected by Fury. More body shots. Fury tries 1-2 then clinches. Jab to the head from Wilder. Big shot from Wilder misses. Right to the body, and again. Fury returns fire, clinch headlock. Fury connects with 1-2 late but round to Wilder 10-9.
• Round Two: Wilder jabbing again but not as forcefully. Fury attacks, Wilder launches counterattack, then clinch. Fury body hook, now clinches. Big shot from Wilder misses narrowly as Fury jumps back. Ref allowing clinch work from Fury. Right hand by Wilder, Fury comes back and clinches. More wrestling near the end of the round. Closer round 10-10; Wilder 20-19.
• Round Three: Fury body shot of his own. Wilder's jabs not as forceful. Fury on the attack more, he comes in an clinches, tries to in-fight. Wilder a few jabs but he's backing up more now. Fury headlock is stopped by the ref quickly, warns against headlock. Wild swinging by both fighters, Wilder connects with a strong right. Fury returns strong jab. More big swings by both fighters look tired. Fury short shot puts Wilder down for an 8-count, he's hurt. Wilder holding on and survives. 10-8 Fury; 29-28.
• Round Four: Wilder looks shaky, Fury has him against ropes. Wilder holds on. Fury is tired too but Wilder just looking for one shot. Fury has Wilder against ropes. Big shot from Wilder puts Fury on the canvas, he barely gets up! Fury gets big shot in, but Fury goes down yet again! Round ends! Wilder 10-7; Wilder 38-36
• Round Five: Jabs from Wilder, big punch from Fury misses. Ref struggles to separate them. Fury is looking better, Wilder still swinging for the fences. Fury 1-2 rocks Wilder. They wrestle-fight which helps Fury. Wilder connects with 2 big rights! Wilder measuring him, Fury swings big too. They clinch, both are spent. Another clinch. Crazy round, 10-10; Wilder 48-46.
• Round Six: Fury trying to box more, looks recovered pretty well. Fury right hook then clinches. Wilder swinging a lot. Fury wrestling a lot, almost makes Wilder take a knee. Big punch from both fighters. Fury suddenly comes alive, Wilder responds, Fury charges in again. Fury pressuring Wilder. Fury got the best of the action one way or another 10-9; Wilder 57-56.
• Round Seven: Fury big 1-2, tries to clinch and pressure but ref doesn't let him. Fury now pushing against the ropes, trying to brawl his way to a win. Ducks Wilder's big right; this is starting to look like the 2nd fight. Big right from Fury. Uppercuts from Fury in clinch. Big right from Wilder, Fury wears it well; another 1-2 form Wilder. Fury responds, Wilder is in trouble, barely staying up. Fury 10-9; 66-66.
• Round Eight: Fury looks confident, Wilder unsteady. Fury pressuring against the ropes. Big right from Wilder, doesn't affect Fury right now. Fury responds with big shots, Wilder survives somehow. Fury wobbles Wilder. Wilder clinches for last 10 seconds. Fury 10-9; 76-75.
• Round Nine: Concerns about Wilder's right hand, but he says its okay. Fury looks fresh, Wilder looks wobbly still. Wilder comes alive with punches but Fury weathers the storm. Big flurry from Fury, WIlder stays up. Big clinch, wrestling from Fury. Wilder's energy is low but he keeps trying to land right. Fury getting the better of it, Wilder lands big uppercut near the end. Fury 10-9; 86-84. 
• Round Ten: Fury combination puts Wilder against the ropes again, Wilder getting beat up again. Wilder sleepwalking around the ring, huge shot by Fury puts Wilder down, but he somehow gets up! Wilder trying to survive. Big uppercut from Fury, Wilder has crazy flurry at end! But still 10-8 Fury with the knockdown, Fury 96-92.
• Round Eleven: Clinching from Fury, Wilder pinned against rings after hard shot. Big uppercut from Wilder and another one. Wilder is down and fight is waved off. Tyson Fury KO 11 Deontay Wilder

Tyson Fury regains the SportsRatings Heavyweight Belt with the 11th round KO in an incredible fight from both fighters. Wilder will get a lot of respect in the boxing world for his effort.

Fury-Wilder III Undercard: Ajagba-Sanchez, Helenius-Kownacki round-by-round scoring

The Fury-Wilder undercard has two big-time heavyweight fights: #9 Efe Ajagba vs. #11 Frank Sanchez, and #23 Robert Helenius vs. #54 Adam Kownacki.

Two other heavyweight fights of interest are on the undercard. 

• #44 Viktor Faust TKO 3 #145 Mike Marshall
• #24 Jared AndersonTKO 2 Vladimir Tereshkin

We will have round-by-round scoring for the Ajagba-Sanchez and Helenius-Kownacki bouts.

First up is Helenius-Kownacki II

• Round One: Helenius hard shot to the body. Countering Kownacki's jabs too; now he ties up. Kownacki good jab to the jaw. Kownacki has a beard now, too so he looks like a shorter Helenius. Helenius throwing good jabs. Helenius throwing hard leather. Has him against the ropes, unloading on Kownacki who survives to the bell. Very solid round for Helenius 10-9.
• Round Two: Tie-up early. Kownacki coming in close, trying to close the distance. Helenius strikes from afar and ties up. Kownacki is pressing the action. Good shot in the corner rocks Helenius. Both of Kownacki's eyes are swollen. Helenius is slower this round like he used a lot of energy in the first round. Still jabbing well late in the round. More jabs and 1-2s late evens up the round 10-10; 20-19 Helenius.
• Round Three: Helenius relaxed, Kownacki pressing the action again but Helenius counters well. More tie-ups as Kownacki closes in. Kownacki trying to keep a high work-rate but having mixed success. Kownacki slows down near the end again and Helenius unloads jabs and 1-2 shots that wobble Kownacki until a low blow bends Helenius over right near the end of the round. No point taken but round goes to Helenius 10-9; 30-28.
• Round Four: More jabs from Helenius and close work by Kownacki leads to clinch; ref not allowing inside work. A few good shots from Kownacki. More jabs from Helenius, uppercut too but not a lot on it. Helenius avoiding Kownacki's closing, looks a bit like Tyson Fury slipping these shots. 1-2 from the outside now late in the round. Kownacki's face is bloodied. Helenius 10-9; 40-37.
• Round Five: Kownacki closing in with more head movement early. Another low blow from Kownacki in the clinch gets a point taken from Kownacki. Kownacki pressing the action again, having some success, but getting a lot in return from Helenius. 1-2 from Helenius at distance as Kownacki not closing in late in the round, making him a sitting duck for Helenius. He's in trouble with 30 seconds left. Helenius not in any hurry, maybe a bit tired. 10-8 for Helenius with the deduction; 50-45 Helenius.
• Round Six: The doctor considered stopping the fight between rounds due to Kownacki's eyes. Helenius is taking his time, making sure not to gas himself. He can afford to be relaxed because Kownacki isn't throwing much anymore. He's also not closing the distance which helps Helenius. Kownacki is almost out of jab range even.  Both fighters are taking this round off. Strangely the ref stopped the fight, apparently it was for low blows. Helenius wins by DQ.

In replay there was a clear groin shot by Kownacki, about the only thing he had thrown the entire sixth round. Helenius looked pretty good overall, while Kownacki looked bad physically and mentally, not responding well to his first loss at all.

Now: the top ten eliminator with undefeated fighters: Efe Ajagba vs. Frank Sanchez

• Round One: Feeling out process early, little action in first minute. Flurry by Ajagba misses and Sanchez counters. Ajagba stalking Sanchez. Body blow by Ajagba, Sanchez good counter. Sanchez definitely looking to counter...whiffs on big hook. Not much happened though. 10-10.
• Round Two: More action this round, still not wild by any means. Long Jabs by Ajagba, counters by Sanchez. Sanchez shuffles in with double jab attempt. Big overhand by Sanchez is first real solid punch, Ajagba took it well. Sanchez against the ropes with Ajagba in center of ring. Counter jabs by Sanchez score. Sanchez fast on his strikes. Very slight advantage to Sanchez 10-9; 20-19.
• Round Three: Ajagba slugging hard with his shots, mostly blocked. Good right by Sanchez, Ajagba whiffs as Sanchez ducks. Ajagba having trouble finding Sanchez, who doesn't have many opportunities himself. Good exchange, Sanchez probably connected better. Decent shot by Ajagba. Jab by Sanchez. Another close round for Sanchez 10-9; 30-28.
• Round Four: Sanchez still frustrating Ajagba with movement and counters. A few jabs by Ajagba. Stalking but not letting it go. Big hook by Sanchez, mostly blocked. Ajagba not pulling the trigger standing in front of Sanchez. Body shots by Ajagba. Probably too close to give to Ajagba. 10-10; 40-38 Sanchez.
• Round Five: More posturing by both fighters. Ajagba pushes Sanchez into the ropes. Traps him there again and Sanchez avoids body shots. Tie-up as both miss. Even first half of round. Crowd starting to boo. They mix it up a bit but nothing effective. Sanchez really not doing anything at all either as Ajagba stalks him. Tie up near the end of the round. 10-9 Ajagba since Sanchez did nothing; 49-48 Sanchez.
• Round Six: Body jab by Ajagba. Counter by Sanchez after Ajagba lunge. Blocking each other's jabs. Solid right from Ajagba connects.Wild swing by Sanchez causes a slip, might have been hit by Ajagba. Ajagba 10-9 since that could have been knock down. 59-59.
• Round Seven: Drop was ruled a slip, so a 10-9 for Ajagba is probably fair. More mixing it up this round but to no one's advantage. Sanchez lands a jab and cross to the face. Both fighters looking more focused. Great counter from Sanchez on uppercut. Last minute is slower. Holy crap, Sanchez knocks Ajagba down, but then Sanchez hits him while on one knee. No penalty for the illegal shot, and no count? That was crazy. 10-8 Sanchez; 69-67
• Round Eight: Ajagba looks pretty recovered. Stalking again big shots from Sanchez, he smells blood now. Ajagba recovers and goes back to stalking, some good body shots. Not much else happens. Sanchez 10-9; 79-76.
• Round Nine: Ajagba needs a knockdown for a draw on our card with 2 rounds left. Corner imploring him. Sanchez staying conservative as he looks to protect his lead and not take chances. Not looking for KO really anymore since Ajagba took those last shots well. But Ajagba isn't doing anything either. Big clash amounts to nothing connected. Big overhand right from Ajagba might win him that round. 10-9 Ajagba; 88-86 Sanchez.
• Round Ten: Corner REALLY imploring Ajagba to let his hands go for the KO. Sanchez standing in front, backing down less at first, but backs up to ropes eventually. Ajagba lunges in for a right. Sanchez counters with a right off Ajagba's jabs. Round half over and Ajagba is only slightly more active. Sanchez jumps in and connects. Sanchez doing a good job evading any opportunity for Ajagba, who let the round go without really trying for the KO. Sanchez 10-9; Sanchez 98-95.

Our "three" cards, splitting the 10-10 rounds, would be Sanchez 98-93; Sanchez 98-95; Sanchez 96-95. Should be a unanimous decision for Frank Sanchez.

Official decision: Sanchez 97-92; 98-91; 98-91.

A big step forward for Frank Sanchez, while Efe Ajagba drops his first fight. As the younger fighter he had less to lose, providing he responds well to his first loss, unlike Adam Kownacki.

Usyk up to #2, takes interim SportsRatings title; Fury-Wilder fight for outright belt

Oleksandr Usyk outboxed Anthony Joshua on Saturday and even won the decision on all three cards. The idea that Joshua "couldn't lose" a decision was proved wrong. Money talks, but it doesn't jab, dodge, and bewilder the way Usyk did to Joshua in winning yesterday.

Usyk holds interim belt—for the next two weeks

Usyk jumps from #23 to #2 in our rankings, capturing Joshua's interim SportsRatings Heavyweight title, while idle fighters #1 Tyson Fury and #5 Deontay Wilder will battle for the third time on October 9th, and that one is a true title fight.

In other words, both men will be fighting for the title—the winner will be #1. If Joshua had defeated Usyk and then Wilder beat Fury, Wilder would only be #2. But with Joshua out of the way, if Wilder beats the odds and wins the trilogy fight he will finally be at the very top.

SportsRatings Heavyweight Boxing Rankings for September 26, 2021

-3 Yr	-1 Yr	-6 mo	Sept Rank	Oct Rank	Fighter	Rating	Rated Record	September results; •October schedule
2	1	1	1	1	TYSON FURY	49.20	18-0-1	--last rated win -19 months; •10/9 vs. #5 DEONTAY WILDER  [for HW title]
--	39	26	23	2	OLEKSANDR USYK	35.64	3-0-0	UD 12 #2 ANTHONY JOSHUA [new Interim HW champion]
1	2	2	2	3	ANTHONY JOSHUA	33.42	17-2-0	L UD 12 #23 OLEKSANDR USYK
6	9	4	3	4	DILLIAN WHYTE	26.35	14-2-0
3	3	3	4	5	DEONTAY WILDER	25.54	18-1-1	--last rated win -22 months; •10/9 vs. #1 TYSON FURY  [for HW title]

Of course if Fury wins he will still be #1, and he will no longer be inactive and thus will reclaim his title.

Remember all the people saying Fury was crazy for agreeing to fight Wilder again with the Joshua battle looming? Looks like maybe it was Joshua who was crazy not to wait.

Whyte Still Waiting in the Wings

And as usual lost in the shuffle among the title fighters is #4 Dillian Whyte, who earned a title shot about 100 years ago but has been delayed by the Fury-Wilder draw, the Joshua loss to Ruiz, the Ruiz-Joshua rematch, the Fury-Wilder rematch, losing to Povetkin, delay in rematch with Povetkin, the Fury-Wilder trilogy delay, and now once again the Joshua loss to Usyk and certain accompanying rematch. Maybe now he can get a fight with Fury soon? Unless Wilder wins, making the series 1-1-1 and necessitating yet another go-around...

#5 Dillian Whyte vs. #6 Alexander Povetkin live round-by-round scoring

Note: We'll see how this goes, watching DAZN with very spotty internet today.

Dillian Whyte (27-1) risks his near-perpetual upcoming title shot by taking on the still-dangerous Alex Povetkin (35-2-1) in Brentwood, UK today.

This fight is a throwback to the 1970s when top 10 heavyweights clashed seemingly all the time.

Whyte is #5 and Povetkin #6 in our current top 100:

-3 Yr	-1 Yr	-6 mo	July Rank	Aug Rank	Fighter	Rating	Rated Record	July results; •August schedule
1	1	2	1	1	TYSON FURY	53.78	18-0-1
2	4	1	2	2	ANTHONY JOSHUA	45.94	16-1-0
5	3	3	3	3	DEONTAY WILDER	29.00	18-1-1
25	2	4	4	4	ANDY RUIZ JR	27.32	13-2-0	--last rated win -13 months.
18	5	5	5	5	DILLIAN WHYTE	24.92	13-1-0	•8/22 vs. #6 ALEX POVETKIN
3	6	6	6	6	ALEX POVETKIN	22.52	29-2-1	•8/22 vs. #5 DILLIAN WHYTE

A win by Whyte would move him past Andy Ruiz and even Deontay Wilder and into the #3 position behind the only man to beat him, #2 Anthony Joshua.

A win for Povetkin means he moves back into the top 5 where he's spent almost all of the last 10 years. He'd move up to #4.

The consequences for Whyte include falling to around #10 in our rankings, but more importantly it puts his long-awaited title shot in doubt. For Povetkin, he'd fall outside the top 10 to around #12, and it probably means his career as a serious contender would be over; he turns 41 next week.

The fight is about to start.

• Round 1: Careful start from both fighters. Whyte's reach advantage is clear with his jab, and he looks a lot bigger. Body shots from Povetkin. 1-2 from Whyte and return from Povetkin but both cover up pretty well. Almost a head-clash and tie-up near the end. Body shot at end from Whyte. Not enough there to decide a fight on so as I often do I give round one a draw; I suspect judging might tip to Whyte though. 10-10
• Round 2: Good body counter from Whyte. Another one to the gut. Povetkin with a good hook on exchange. Fairly tactical so far while both stand in front of each other. Povetkin trying to establish jab but range isn't there. Povetkin whiffs on hook, and over the top, then connects and tries to get out before the counter. Another close round, I was ready to go with Whyte but couldn't convince myself that the announcers aren't being biased. Another punt. 20-20
• Round 3: Whyte return shot causes Povetkin to stumble. He comes back with combo. Good infighting. Whyte very cool, letting Povetkin come to him and countering well to the body. Whyte is in better range for jabs, and defends well when Povetkin comes inside. More body shots, maybe a bit low from Whyte but he takes the round. 10-9 Whyte 30-29.
• Round 4: Huge return shot from Whyte, Povetkin shrugs it off and continues but falls after another one, takes the 8 count. Povetkin looked tired but determined after 1 minute in. His body shot is a bit low mabye but no complaints from Whyte. Already a freebie round for Whyte but Povetkin soldiers on, maybe hoping for a later round 2nd wind that he has had throughout his career. A counter uppercut sends Povetkin to the floor for a 2nd time. Now it's a hard road for Povetkin. Whyte 10-7; 40-36.
• Round 5: Povetkin counter left uppercut KNOCKS DILLIAN WHYTE COMPLETELY OUT.

Holy shit. That was insane. Povetkin's eulogy was being written by all observers, and he comes back with this. Whyte is OUT.

I was just writing that Povetkin was still moving well and trying to stay busy despite the huge hole he was digging for himself, and that his problem was that he was leaving himself open. Well, that was true, he was leaving himself open, but that's how you find those perfect shots.

High risk, high reward.

Unbelievable KO win for Alexander Povetkin, and he will be back in our top 5 come September 1st. Dillian Whyte unfortunately won't get his title shot after waiting 3 years. He'll stay in the top ten but he'll need to claw his way back up in the pecking order.

 

The Rematch: Fury vs. Wilder 2 Round-by-Round Scoring

It's SportsRatings #2 Tyson Fury vs. SportsRatings #3 Deontay Wilder in a rematch, with the winner—assuming there is one this time—taking over the #1 spot from Anthony Joshua.

The first fight was as close as it could be, with Fury generally outboxing Wilder with his odd, slippery style, but Wilder scoring two knockdowns—one in the final round that took Fury to the 9-count to recover. He did, however, and survived the 12th round. To the judges, everything evened out to a draw. Both fighters lost their perfect records, but both remain undefeated.

At the time it ruined the unofficial 4-man "Heavyweight Playoff" in effect; with no winner, there was no one to go on to fight Joshua for undisputed status. Things got more complicated when Joshua lost to Andy Ruiz, Jr, but Joshua won that rematch and hopefully will be next on the agenda for tonight's winner.

Fury is 29-0-1 with 20 KOs while Wilder is 42-0-1 with 41 KOs. Somebody's O has got to go. We can't have another draw...let's hope. In our system, Fury has 17 significant wins, Wilder 16, and they are in a near-tie for the #2 spot in our rankings.

In in the undercard's heavyweight feature, Charles Martin and Gerald Washington waltzed for 5 rounds before Martin scored a 1-punch TKO in the 6th.

The fight is ready to start at around 12:15 EST.

Live round-by-round scoring follows:

• Round 1: Quick jabs from Wilder, Fury trying to command the ring with his awkward style, swinging wide for Wilder. BIG punch from Wilder, Fury takes it well though. Fury with a big punch that misses but shows he's going to be on the attack. Another bum rush from Fury keeps Wilder on his back foot. Fury clearly trying to be different in this fight so Wilder can't use last fight's timing. BIG jab by Fury. Wilder had the best punch but Fury had more, and that last jab clinched it. Fury 10-9.
• Round 2: Wilder's style looks awkward due to Fury's posturing. Good hook from Fury, GOOD stiff right from Wilder. Jab from Fury. Lots of punches are connecting, none are hurting so far. Lots of distance between the fighters but both have a huge reach, so it evens out. Fury connects again. Wilder connects again! This is good action, much better than I expected actually. Fury with a great punch overhand against the ropes. Good round for both of them, Wilder ends the round with a solid punch, but Fury returns fire at the bell (maybe after!) 10-10; Fury 20-19.
• Round 3: Fury is dancing a bit, Wilder keeping distance. Fury gets good shots in and ties up Wilder awkwardly. Big punch again from Fury. Good start for the Gypsy King. Gets Wilder in another headlock, punches in that clinch too. Looks like Wilder is in Fury's range, but not the other way around. Wilder unsure of what to do. Fury punching a lot when the ref says to stop, has to pull them apart. Knockdown of Wilder by Fury! With 30 seconds left. Wilder  in trouble. Wilder tries to clinch and falls down again-- he is unsteady on his feet as the round ends. Fury 10-8; 30-27.
• Round 4: Fury punches again in the clinch when told not to; ref warns him. The two whiff on huge punches and Wilder slips to the ground again. Wilder is going for the big punch, he seems desperate. Fury's jabs keep getting in. More clinching, with Fury putting his weight on Wilder. Fury is bullying Wilder, but mostly clinching and wrestling this round. 10-9 Fury; 40-36.
• Round 5: Big one-two from Fury at the start has Wilder in trouble, sloppy fighting ensues. Fury landing big punches from the clinch. Fury really leaning on Wilder; body shot puts Wilder down! He's in real trouble, looking very tired. Fury should be stopped from doing the headlock. Wilder ready to drop, Fury wrestling and bullying him more. Is the headlock legal now? Fury gets a point deducted, and it's fair. With the deduction and knockdown, 9-8 round; Fury 49-44.
• Round 6: Fury bullrushes in again, has Wilder in trouble again. Fury is trying to bury him against the ropes. Fury unloading again, Wilder firing back occasionally. Both are swinging, Fury getting the best of the infighting. Good action, Wilder holding up impressively against the onslaught really. Wilder steps aside from the ropes, but gets hit again. Fury actually licked blood off Wilder's shoulder... Fury 10-9; 59-53.
• Round 7: Big punch from Fury again. Wilder still holding on for now. Slower action for the first minute with Fury walking Wilder down. Wilder's big shot misses as Fury ducks it. Two more miss. Holy shit, the ref waved it off after a few punches from Fury. Wilder looked dazed but that was a really unusual stoppage!
  
  Ok, Wilder's corner threw in the towel. That makes a lot more sense than the ref stoppage. They must have decided before the round that if he got cornered against the ropes to throw the towel.

Fury defeats Wilder by a round 7 TKO. Tyson Fury is our new heavyweight champion after dominating this fight.