Oleksandr Usyk defeated Tyson Fury in their rematch this weekend. The Ukrainian champion won by unanimous decision in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, maintaining his unified heavyweight titles.
All three judges scored the fight 116-112 in favor of Usyk. This victory follows their first bout in May, where Usyk became the undisputed heavyweight king with a split decision win.
Usyk significantly upped his performance in the later rounds. His stamina and work rate impressed many, highlighting why he’s considered one of the greats. While Fury kept it competitive and had some strong moments, he improved his boxing from their initial encounter and attempted to rough Usyk up at close range.
“Usyk raised his game once again. He’s got gears and he kept going. Whatever Tyson Fury did, he just kept upping it.”
Not everyone agreed with the wide scorecards. David Haye, familiar with moving up from cruiserweight to heavyweight, thought the fight was closer. He mentioned to TNT Sports Box Office:
“Rarely do you get all three judges having it the same way. Different rounds but all had Tyson winning four rounds. I thought that was very, very harsh. It depends what you’re after, depends what you like. The rounds were close.”
Haye awarded Usyk the win by just one or two rounds and noted that people around him were surprised by the official scores.
Fury and his promoter, Frank Warren, also expressed disagreement with the wide margin on the scorecards. Nonetheless, at the end of the day, Usyk secured the win and retained his titles.
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