Tyson Fury meets Alexander Usyk in rematch. But the “Gypsy King” missed the revenge against the Ukrainian.
Alexander Usyk remains the benchmark in heavyweight boxing. The Ukrainian also won the rematch against Briton Tyson Fury over twelve rounds unanimously on points in Riyadh on Saturday. The 37-year-old successfully defended the world championship belts of the WBA, WBO and WBC associations.
With his 23rd success in his 23rd professional fight, Usyk also triumphed in his second duel with Fury, after unifying the titles of all four major associations with a narrow points victory last May and becoming the undisputed world champion.
The live ticker to read:
Usyk once again demonstrates his calmness. During the ring interview, Daniel Dubois rumbles into the ring area and cockily challenges the winner to a duel. He rambles something about it being his turn now.
Usyk stays cool. He addresses “His Excellency”, by which he means the organizer of the World Boxing Championships in Saudi Arabia, Turki Alalshikh. “Make it happen,” Usyk calls on the extended member of the Saudi royal family and chairman of the powerful sports authority in the Wahhabi state. “No problem,” the Ukrainian says several times. “No problem,” he likes to fight Dubois. But first he wanted to go home for a moment to rest.
This is typical Usyk humor. Because the world champion has never fought at home. He won all of his titles on foreign soil, mostly in the home states of his opponents, in front of a foreign audience, against thousands of fans. This also makes him feared by other boxers. Usyk, it seems, just can’t be bothered.
Meanwhile, Dubois is still in the ring and looks pretty surprised. He could have already noticed that Usyk is unimpressed by sassy remarks and a rowdy demeanor.
Usyk is as humble as ever after the fight. He says he doesn’t want to comment on the referees’ verdict. He’s just a boxer doing his job. Then he thanks God and his family, his wife and children.
Of course it doesn’t work without dedication. Usyk dedicated the victory to his mother, who was always worried about him. And he dedicates the victory to all mothers who fear for their sons. A reference to the many soldiers at the front who risk their lives in the war against Russia.
Usyk is considered a folk hero in his homeland; his fights provide his troubled compatriots with brief but important moments of hope and pride. Usyk knows this. He told the Guardian a few days ago that he had heard stories from soldiers at the front who had gained new confidence through his victories. That touched him very much.
Surprise: All three judges have Usyk ahead. 116 to 112. The Ukrainian wins this rematch confidently. It is a unanimous verdict.
The AI judge that DAZN used here for the first time sees it similarly. He rates the fight 118 to 112.
Now it’s all about everything. Fury’s trainer said earlier during the break in the ring: “You’re getting this thing now, you hear me? Not tomorrow, today, now!” Let’s see if Fury is still capable of this. Usyk is notorious for his conditioning. However, in the first fight between the two in May, he was no longer able to convince in the twelfth round as much as he had in the ninth to eleventh rounds.
It’s over. The final bell sounds. Fury throws his arms up. He obviously sees himself as a winner. Let’s see if the referees rate it similarly. As I said, the two could face each other a third time. There’s a lot of money in there again. A victory for Fury today would of course make such a trilogy more likely.
Unfortunately, my scorecard is not meaningful. I didn’t see the fourth and half of the fifth round. I just heard that DAZN was having transmission problems. Not the first time.
Crunch time. Now it’s all about everything. The fight is now more balanced again, on the scorecards and also in the ring. Usyk needs to slow down a bit, his constant offensive drive may be taking its toll. He’s a little less lively now than in the first rounds, but well, is that surprising?