Julius OkorieUkrainian Boxer, Oleksandr Usyk, defeated British boxer, Tyson Fury, in their much talked about rematch on Saturday night with Tyson contesting his defeat. Usyk claimed the match in a unanimous decision
In a thrilling contest where neither man refused to give an inch, it was Usyk who finished the stronger, just as he did seven months ago, to pick up a repeat victory.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelUsyk became undisputed champion by just a single point in May as he earned a split decision win, but this time it was more clear-cut as all three judges scored the bout 116-112 in his favour.
Fury promptly left the ring after the result was announced having clearly been disappointed that his efforts got very little recognition from the judges.
The 36-year-old was later caught backstage by reporters and, when asked for his thoughts on the scorecards, the Gypsy King offered a surprise response.
Speaking to Sky Sports Boxing after the fight, he said: ‘I swear to God, I thought I won by three rounds!’
Later, ESPN reported that Fury also said: ‘I thought I won the fight again, I was Larry Holmesed again. I was on the front foot the entire time. When you don’t get the knockout this is what can happen.
Usyk appeared bemused when asked if he deserved to get his hand raised before he was confronted by heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois who called for a rematch after losing to the Ukrainian great last year.
Statistics of the encounter revealed Fury had thrown more punches in the contest, with 509 to Usyk’s 423. But Usyk landed 179 across the 12 rounds compared to 144 by Fury.
READ ALSO: Anthony Joshua Suffers Third Heavyweight Loss To Usyk
Overall Usyk landed 42 per cent of his punches, with Fury way down on 28 per cent.
In the press conference, Fury was flatly asked what’s next for him after coming up short in undisputed and then unified title fights, signalling the first losses of his entire professional career.
‘You might see me fight again, you might not,’ he cryptically answered.
Having spent three months away from his wife Paris and their children, Fury had promised to be more aggressive than the first fight and avoid any showboating, and he took the centre of the ring straight away. But Usyk refused to be bullied as he pushed the bigger man back in a cagey opening round.
The Brit began to bring his jab into play in the second, and a sharp right hand briefly bothered Usyk as the action started to heat up.
Fury switched to southpaw as he started to grow in confidence, before the fight came to life in the fourth as Usyk landed two hard left hands, only for the Gyspy King to respond with a powerful right of his own.
If the previous four rounds had been hard to score, the fifth wasn’t. Fury landed at will to the body and connected with a swift uppercut on the inside as he started to take control.
But Usyk is a champion for a reason. The Ukrainian emerged for the sixth with renewed vigour and caught Fury with strong left hands that wobbled the giant.
As the final bell rang, Usyk dropped to his knees and the devout Christian looked to heavens clearly believing he had done enough to claim another win.
He was proved right as he retained his unbeaten record, his titles and the status of being the best heavyweight on the planet.
Julius Okorie is Chief Sports and Entertainment Correspondent for Prime Business Africa. He began his journalism career with the Champion Newspaper and Sporting Champion and later moved on to Daily Independent and the Nation Newspapers. Okorie joined Prime Business Africa in 2024 bringing on board 20 years of experience in writing investigative news on Sports and Entertainment. His well researched and highly informative articles on Sports Business and general entertainment are followed by a wide range of audience.
