Oleksandr Usyk remains peerless and unbeaten at the top of boxing’s heavyweight division after another decision victory over Tyson Fury in their rematch in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday night.
The brilliant Ukrainian (now 23-0) claimed a unanimous verdict by 116-112 on all three scorecards to retain his WBC, WBA, WBO, Ring magazine and lineal world titles after a fascinating showdown in the desert.
Fury (now 34-2-1), 19lbs heavier than he had first time out in May, was more circumspect and held centre ring much better, while Usyk came on strong late in the bout to probably edge things in the championship rounds.
READ MORE: Moses Itauma vs Demsey McKean results, scorecards and analysis
It was gripping theatre again, just without the fireworks we had for that incredible unification match in May. Now Fury must decide what comes next after losing two on the bounce – the first defeats of his professional career.
On Usyk though there is no doubting his greatness – he remains unbeaten and has unified the titles at both cruiserweight and heavyweight. At the age of 37 he has no questions left to answer. An all-time great.
Usyk vs Fury round-by-round
The first round was a fascinating case of both men feeling each other out. Fury – 19lbs heavier than last time out and carrying significant bulk around the mid-section – looked sharp despite his 281-pound frame and he established control of centre ring to paw out that signature jab. Usyk meanwhile was looking for openings all the time. He did become the aggressor once and was caught on the way out by a nice Fury counter.
Fury boxed beautifully in the second, looking really sharp as he kept Usyk on the end of that ramrod jab. He also staggered the champion with a lovely right hand late in the session. It was impressive so far from ‘The Gypsy King’ and he was bossing things early. The pace and distance was suiting him perfectly so far.
The challenger was impressive again in the third, again ensuring he established centre ring and did not retreat to the ropes as he had in the first fight. Usyk was trying hard to close the distance to his much bigger opponent but was struggling to do so. Fury even switched to southpaw late in the session and landed a nice left to end the round strong.
READ MORE: Johnny Fisher vs Dave Allen results, scorecards and analysis
Usyk began to establish a foothold in the fourth, landing a couple of lovely left hands, the second one just grazing the chin of Fury. ‘The Gypsy King’ though recovered his composure and struck home with a beautiful right late in the session. It was gripping stuff once again.
Fury was terrific in the fifth as he continued to hold centre ring and control the fight from there. He produced a peach of a lead left uppercut which detonated off Usyk’s chin, and also mixed up jabs and body shots to good effect. Usyk did land a nice left but it was very likely another round for the challenger from the UK.
Usyk enjoyed his best round of his fight in the sixth, landing a peach of a left hand which really stiffened the legs of Fury. It was the Ukrainian’s best session of the night so far, and it left ‘Sugar Hill’ high on frustration in the corner after the round had ended.
Fury re-established control early in the seventh as he controlled the pace, slowing things down. Usyk though did finish the session strongly and it was a difficult session to score. We were almost two thirds of the way through this one and it was surely very close. Anybody’s fight with 15 minutes to go.
Round 8 brought more fascinating action but it was clear Fury was just starting to slow a little, maybe that bulk was starting to eat into his stamina just a little. He was starting to go backwards as he had in the first fight, but he told ‘Sugar Hill’ in the corner: “I’m getting my second wind now”. We would see – his trainer definitely was demanding more aggression.
Fury did exactly what ‘Sugar Hill’ had asked early in the ninth, starting to take control again and being the aggressor in the fight. Usyk tried to come on strong at the end but it was a better session for ‘The Gypsy King’. He was starting to mix in more body shots and the odd uppercut now.
Tyson began and ended the 10th with a pair of uppercuts, and in between he was again controlling the flow. He was also starting to lean on his much smaller opponent much more, using his bulk to smother the Ukrainian genius.
Usyk needed a big round in the 11th and he got one, as Fury started to tire just a little. He landed a lovely left hand and there was clearly damage under the right eye of Fury. ‘The Gypsy King’ did land his best punch of the round right at the end. The message before the 12th was simple from ‘Sugar Hill’ – ‘You’ve gotta take it’.
Fury did indeed try to take it in the final round and he started well, bossing things and showing incredible reserves of stamina. But it was Usyk who finished the stronger with some nice combinations. He also landed a lovely left as the bell sounded and he might just have pinched the round with that.
It was another fascinating fight and again we would go to the scorecards with any result legitimately possible.
Scorecards and results
Gerardo Martinez: 116-112 Usyk
Patrick Morley: 116-112 Usyk
Ignacio Robles: 116-112 Usyk
Result: Usyk wins by unanimous decision and retains the WBC, WBA, WBO, Ring magazine and lineal heavyweight titles.
