Oleksandr Usyk once again emerged victorious over Tyson Fury in their highly anticipated rematch held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The fight, which took place on Saturday, saw Usyk successfully defend his unified heavyweight world titles. The first encounter between these two boxing giants happened in May of this year, with Usyk securing a win via split decision. This marked Fury’s first career loss, and he immediately called for a rematch, setting the stage for another thrilling bout.
Fury, known as "The Gypsy King, " showed significant improvement in the rematch. He made better use of his height advantage to keep the smaller and faster Usyk at a distance. However, Usyk's strategy of waiting for his opponents to tire proved effective once again. As the fight progressed into the later rounds, Usyk gained control, capitalizing on Fury's waning energy. According to statistics, Usyk landed 179 of his 423 punches (42%), compared to Fury's 144 out of 509 (28%).
In the final moments of the fight, Fury attempted to land a decisive blow, but Usyk managed to thwart these efforts. The judges scored the fight 116-112 in Usyk's favor across all three scorecards, much to Fury's camp's displeasure. Fury, who entered the ring dressed like Santa Claus and to the tune of Mariah Carey's Christmas hit, felt he had been given an early Christmas present by the judges.
Fury expressed his disappointment, stating that he believed he had won both fights. He acknowledged the unpredictability of boxing and vowed not to dwell on the loss. Usyk, on the other hand, was eager to take a break and spend time with his children. The Ukrainian boxer also had a humorous response to Fury's promoter, Frank Warren, who was surprised by the judge’s decision.
