Oleksandr Usyk won this long awaited rematch with Tyson Fury in Riyadh Saturday night as he retained his three world titles and his unbeaten record. The two heavyweights fought a tough battle in Saudi Arabia, but it was not revenge in the eyes of the judges.
The Ukrainian came into the match up with the WBA, WBC and WBO belts after winning the first fight in May.
Usyk knew that Fury towered him by six inches and 55lb. The Ukrainian had the technique but for much of his career, the Brit was something of a freak for his ring IQ and mobility despite his looming outsize presence.
Some say the scorecards were questionable with all three judges giving it 116-112 all in favour of Usyk. There’s no doubt that Usyk landed more shots but it seemed Fury landed more aggressive shots overall. American betting sites had Usyk a slight favourite at 4/6 when the fight ended, further showing how close the bout was.
In the aftermath neither fighter could conceal their respect. They had put on a cracking display of boxing, both adroit and both human. Uysk had done his country proud against a dreadful background of war while the British fans could be confident their man had come close to glory.
The rematch offered Fury a chance of revenge, the heavyweight sometimes acts as the entertainer but he had largely kept his cool since his defeat. An extremely long beard might have caused minor controversy but it betrayed at least the image of a determined and focused man. He had said coming up to the fight he had detached himself from his family for months in his attempt to dedicate himself to his latest second chance. A dreadful period of his life where he was haunted by demons of his past thankfully seems to have banished but another loss throws his professional future in doubt.
Where does Fury go from here? He is clearly coming to the latter stages of his career being 36 yrs old and now two losses to the Ukrainian it doesn’t really call for a trilogy. Does he have a swansong with Anthony Joshua or does he call it a day and look towards family life as well as having something still in Boxing to pass on advice to the fighters coming up.
For Usyk there were millions on offer but he had also put his unbeaten record on the line in the rematch so he will no doubt be looking forward to a well earned break with his family over Christmas and then look at fights in 2025.
Daniel Debois jumped in the ring after asking for a rematch after the first fight against Usyk left his frustrated having deemed a knockdown to be below the belt. Since that fight DDD had a convincing win over Joshua and will be looking to put things right when given the chance for a rematch in 2025. He still has the endurable Joseph Parker to beat first at the end of February.
We have some great fights to look forward to next year so keep your eyes peeled for more Boxing news and latest odds.
