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Oleksandr Usyk did it again.
The Ukrainian heavyweight defended his WBA, WBC and WBO heavyweight titles in a masterful showing against Tyson Fury, capturing a unanimous decision to move to 2-0 over Fury and cement his place atop boxing’s heavyweight ranks on Saturday night at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
All three judges scored the bout 116-112 for Usyk.
“I win, it’s good,” the always understated Usyk said afterward.
“I can [do] more.”
Similar to the pair’s first fight in May, Usyk (23-0, 14 KOs) again proved to be a master of mid-fight adjustments. Fury (34-2-1, 24 KOs) started strong and aggressively in the opening rounds, using his towering reach and nearly 60-pound weight advantage to control the pace and control the action. Usyk began gaining steam as the rounds wore on though, leaning on a thumping stream of stiff body work and his patented in-and-out movement to frustrate Fury and gradually tire out the big man.
By the middle rounds, Usyk was landing his left hand with increased regularity, including a big left hand in the sixth round that appeared to hurt Fury. Usyk continued to to give Fury zero room to catch his breathe, and while the Englishman found intermittent success behind his jab and by dialing up his punching volume, Usyk again rocked Fury with left hands in the 11th round.
In the end, Usyk both out-landed Fury and was the significantly more accurate fighter. The Ukrainian champion connected on 179 of his 423 punches (42%), while Fury found a home for 144 of his 509 (28%) punches.
With the win, Usyk, 37, proves that the first meeting between the heavyweights — a split decision won by Usyk this past May — was no fluke and likely ends his series with Fury.
Fury left the ring after the decision was read, however Queensberry Promotions’ Frank Warren expressed both bewilderment and outrage at the scorecards, arguing that Fury should’ve won.
“How did Tyson only get four rounds in this fight? That’s impossible,” Warren said.
“It’s nuts. I don’t get it. Very disappointed.”
Warren added that it was too early to speak on whether Fury, 36, will retire or fight again.
Usyk’s own post-fight interview was abruptly interrupted by IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois, who demanded his shot against Usyk after their first meeting in August 2023 was shrouded in controversy due to a belt-line knockdown for Dubois that was ruled a low blow.
“I want my revenge,” Dubois demanded. “I want my revenge for the robbery last time.”
“Make me a fight with Daniel Dubois,” Usyk coolly said in response, motioning to Turki Alalshikh ringside. “Thank you so much.”
Dubois is currently scheduled to defend his IBF title against Joseph Parker on Feb. 22.
With his initial victory over Fury in May, Usyk became the first fighter of boxing’s modern four-belt era to hold all four heavyweight belts, and in the process became a two-division undisputed champion. With his second victory over Fury on Saturday, Usyk may very well have locked up 2024’s Fighter of the Year honors as well.
Get more from Saturday’s action from Uncrowned’s Usyk vs. Fury 2 results and highlights hub.
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