Oleksandr Usyk retained his heavyweight titles after a close battle against Tyson Fury in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The judges awarded Usyk the victory with unanimous 116-112 scorecards.
This fight was a rematch following their first encounter in May 2023, where Usyk emerged victorious by split decision. The scoring of this second bout has sparked some debate within the boxing community.
Former world champion Amir Khan shared his perspective on the bout with Box Nation. Before the fight, he anticipated a victory for Fury but acknowledged that the actual contest was very tightly matched.
"Look, it was a close fight. It could’ve gone either way in my opinion. What did [the judges] give Tyson, four rounds? Yeah, 8-4. I don’t think it was that honestly. I had it even in round ten going into the final two rounds. I thought Tyson might’ve nicked it. It could’ve gone either way, but with them both the very best," Khan observed about the fight.
Khan also noted that Fury managed to land some significant punches on Usyk during the match. Expressing disappointment for the British fans, he added, "Tough day for the Brits. We wanted those titles home."
Tyson Fury, on his part, believes he won by at least three rounds. His promoter, Frank Warren, also holds this belief. However, Usyk disagrees with their assessment. At the post-fight press conference, he called Warren "blind" for suggesting Fury had won.
The tight nature of the match and the varying opinions from fighters, experts, and promoters underscore just how competitive this heavyweight clash was. It seems the debate over who truly deserved the win will linger for some time.
