Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk: Who Won Sunday's Boxing Match and Remains Heavyweight Boss ?

Oleksandr Usyk et Tyson Fury. MAXPPP – Nick Potts

Sept mois après leur premier affrontement, Oleksandr Usyk a de nouveau battu Tyson Fury dimanche à Ryad, s’imposant aux points par décision unanime. Toujours invaincu en 23 combats, l’Ukrainien reste le patron des lourds et consolide sa place parmi les grands.

More precise and aggressive, Usyk imposed his rhythm, touching Fury several times with his left hook. The 37-year-old Ukrainian was awarded the victory 116-112 by the three judges, and thus retains his unbeaten record (23 victories in as many fights) as well as his WBA, WBO, WBC belts. “He's a great fighter, it's a great performance,” Usyk said of Fury, who was undefeated in 35 fights until his defeat in their four-belt unification fight last May. “Unbelievable 24 rounds for my career,” the Ukrainian added.

“I feel a little bit cheated”

The two best heavyweights on the planet met on Saturday evening in the ring of the Kingdom Arena in the Saudi capital, for a match that went on late into the night, seven months after their first leg. Fury maintained that he had won the fight despite the unanimous decision in favour of Usyk. “Look, that's the way it is. I'm not going to cry about it, it's done now […] But I feel a little bit aggrieved, a lot actually,” he said after the fight.

Usyk “got a little Christmas present” from the judges, the Briton said, refusing to say whether or not he would fight his Ukrainian opponent again: “Maybe we will, maybe we won't. Who knows ?”

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Santa Claus and Cossack outfit

In the first round, which took place on May 18, also in Riyadh, Usyk won by split decision at the end of a fight that lived up to all expectations, becoming the unified champion of the premier category, a feat that had not been achieved since Lennox Lewis in 1999. This time, only three belts were at stake, as Usyk has since vacated his IBF title. For this second round, Fury, dressed in a red and white Santa suit and sporting a bushy beard, made his entrance to the festive hit “All I Want For Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey, before a determined-looking Usyk appeared in Cossack attire.

The 6ft 1in Briton kept Usyk at bay early in the fight but the latter stepped up the pace in the third round. The two men remained neck-and-neck in a gruelling fifth round, with Fury landing body shots while Usyk unleashed a flurry of head shots. The Ukrainian, known for his professionalism and exemplary physical condition, became more aggressive afterward, while the “Gypsy King” began to retreat.

A lightning combination

The Briton regained the initiative in the ninth round, using his jab and one-two combinations, but Usyk then rocked his opponent, notably with this lightning combination that ended with another left hook to the face in the 11th round.

Fury, who had a 25-kilo advantage over his opponent, thus suffered the second defeat of his career (34-2-1). When the judges announced the score, the Mancunian seemed at first surprised and then furious, leaving the ring before Usyk had finished his speech.

A symbol of his country

With this new victory, the big moustachioed man from Simferopol can boast of an impeccable career, which he built by playing to his strengths: his arm and leg speed, his technique and his atypical left-handed boxing which earned him the nickname “the cat”. Olympic champion at the London Olympics in 2012, crowned undisputed king of the light heavyweights in 2018, he then tried his luck in the heavyweights, where he is now asserting himself as the boss. In the premier category, his list of achievements includes two victories against Anthony Joshua, a success against Daniel Dubois, who has since become IBF champion, and therefore two victories over Tyson Fury.

Having become a symbol of his country since the Russian invasion, Usyk received congratulations from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. “By retaining the championship belts, Oleksandr proves that we are Ukrainians and that we will never give up what belongs to us”, the head of state praised on Telegram. “No matter how difficult it may be, we will win. Whether in the ring, on the battlefield, or in the diplomatic arena.”