Oleksandr Usyk beat Tyson Fury unanimously to retain his unified heavyweight world titles and cement his status in the sport as one of the best ever.
Following their historic undisputed clash back in May which the Ukrainian won by split decision, Usyk and Fury returned to Riyadh for rematch.
The Brit had bulked up and promised ‘pain’ and ‘hurt’ for Usyk – now just unified champion after vacating the IBF belt earlier this year. The champion was as cool as ever in the build-up, proving once again that not even ‘The Gypsy King’ can get inside his head. Fury and Usyk, at 36 and 37 respectively, entered the ring looking to claim the tag of the greatest heavyweight of this generation – firmly Usyk’s to lose pre-fight.
The opener was for feeling out and feints with Usyk looking to jab to the body and Fury focusing on the head. Usyk upped the pressure in the second, though Fury finished strong. It was back and forth in the third with Usyk getting closer to landing his straight left hand but Fury bloodying the champ’s nose with a jab.
The Ukrainian continued putting work into Fury’s body in the fourth but found the best success of the fight with two big lefts on Fury’s whiskers. The challenger landed a straight right of his own that halted Usyk in his tracks for a second.
Fury started to use his bulk in the fifth, leaning on Usyk and looking to rough him up for the first time in the fight. He landed well to the body in what was likely the easiest round to score for the judges so far. It was Usyk’s turn in the sixth to land something big and he took back control into the seventh and eighth with all the pressure and meaningful work.
The Morecambe man went back to body work and clinching in the ninth, putting a cork in the relentless attacks of Usyk. He kept busy into the tenth, landing some significant uppercuts reminiscent of the first encounter. More back and forth action followed with Usyk not to be deterred.
Usyk’s speed and sneaky power starred in the eleventh, an incredible feat given the battle he had been through up until that point. He looked fresher, more powerful and more driven as the pair went into the final round – the 24th they have shared.
Fury opened it with a thudding body shot and continued the pressure, likely knowing he had to impress to have a chance on the cards. There was incredible stamina shown from both men into the last minute, as Usyk landed clean combinations, not resting on his laurels as it was his fight to lose at this late stage. The final bell rung as the pair traded.
In the end it was scored 116-112 on all three cards to Usyk by unanimous decision, cementing his place as an all-time great in our midst.
