Oleksandr Usyk (right) defeats Tyson Fury in Riyadh. (Getty Images: Richard Pelham)
In short:
Oleksandr Usyk defeated Tyson Fury by unanimous decision to retain his title as world heavyweight champion.
He retained the WBA (Super Champion), WBO and WBC titles, maintaining his undefeated professional record.
What’s next?
Usyk could next face Britain’s Daniel Dubois in a rematch following their first clash last year.
Oleksandr Usyk defeated Tyson Fury in an epic 12-round fight to retain his undisputed world heavyweight title.
Ukrainian fighter Andre Usyk won by unanimous decision in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
He retained the WBA (Super), WBO and WBC titles, maintaining his undefeated professional record.
Usyk defeated Fury by split decision in his first fight in Saudi Arabia last May.
Despite Usyk’s height, weight and reach advantages, he fought hard and ultimately won 116-112 on all three judges’ scorecards.
Fury weighed in at a career-high 127kg, 25kg heavier than Usyk. Fury started at a fast pace and tried to control the center of the ring with his jab.
Fury (left) was in fine form against Usyk but he began to tire as the fight wore on. (Reuters: Andrew Kurdridge)
But Usyk was no match for his British opponent, staying inside and unleashing combinations.
By the fourth round, Usyk was beginning to find the range of his left hand, but as the fight waxed and waned, Fury adjusted and unleashed a barrage of blows to Usyk’s body in the fifth round.
Fury appeared to be hurt near the end of the sixth round when he was hit with a right hand to the body and then a fierce left hand that struck the 36-year-old in the forehead.
Starting from the seventh round, he slowed down due to fatigue and switched to a southpaw stance.
Fury relied on one or two hard shots to the body, but that didn’t stop Usyk from pushing forward, usually finishing his fierce attacks with his intimidating left hand.
Fury’s good start in the 10th round did not last long, as Usyk quickly regained control of the angles, ending the round at lightning speed and easily taking the final two rounds to a convincing victory.
Usyk was scored 116-112 by all three judges. (Getty Images: Richard Pelham)
When asked in a post-fight interview at the ringside, whether he thought the scorecards were correct, Usyk shrugged.
“I won, which is good… I’m not a referee. I’m an athlete. I’m an athlete,” Usyk said.
In August 2023, the 37-year-old Usyk was called out of the ring by British fighter Daniel Dubois and defeated the latter in controversial fashion in the ninth round.
The usually talkative Fury, disappointed by his second defeat of his career, left the ring without saying a word.
Reuters