For the second consecutive fight, Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury needed the judges’ scorecards, as Usyk won a unanimous decision to retain the WBA, WBO and WBC heavyweight championships Saturday in Saudi Arabia.
The judges made a 116-112, 116-112, 116-112 judgment.
Usyk kept his thoughts brief following the win.
“I win,” Usyk said. “It’s all good.”
Meanwhile, Fury, visibly disappointed, chose not to conduct his post-fight interview and returned to his locker room instead.
Here is how the rematch played out: the original fight saw Usyk win a split decision in May.
A feeling-out process ensued between Fury and Usyk, but Usyk was able to get the better of the jab and stifle Fury’s attacks in the opening round.
Round 2 saw more of the same, but Usyk returned to the body and again upstairs. Fury countered with jabs of his own, but none of his shots were potent or knockout-seeking. Near the end of the round, Fury was able to push the pace with a right hand, catching Usyk off-balance.
Fury returned to power punches in Round 3, nearly missing with a body shot. His left jab kept Usyk at bay, but Usyk remained poised. Usyk began to slow down slightly before Fury went into a southpaw stance, ending the frame with Usyk up against the ropes.
Usyk backed Fury against the ropes throughout most of the fourth round with a series of punches. Fury could respond, but his lack of stamina saw his hands drop, which left him susceptible to strikes to the chin. With Daniel Dubois ringside, he said the fight “could go either way” after four rounds.
Fury kept Usyk flat-footed in Round 5, leading to a series of combinations as he looked for the knockout. Usyk responded with a late flurry of his own, but the round ended before he could get going.
Usyk finally put his punches together in the sixth round, giving Fury a plethora of volume to keep him guessing.
A lackluster seventh round saw Usyk push Fury up against the ropes and frustrate Fury by giving him little space to work at range.
Round 8 was much of the same as the seventh, but Fury was able to find his rhythm late.
After an uneventful Round 9, Fury desperately started to find a home for Usyk’s chin. Usyk was able to keep Fury on his back foot late in the round, but nothing staggering enough to finish the fight.
Rounds 10 and 11 saw Fury slow down considerably as Usyk used his combinations to keep Fury against the ropes.
The 12th and final round saw Usyk use clinch-type boxing to preserve a possible lead. Fury continued to stay in the center of the ring as seconds ticked away. Both exchanged punches as an Usyk landed a jab before Fury clinched with 20 seconds left. The fight ended with a one-two combination from Usyk before the judges decided the winner.
The co-main event saw Moses Itauma make short work of Demsey McKean with a first-round TKO in a WBA International, WBO Continental and Commonwealth Silver heavyweight title fight, needing less than a round to do so.
A back-and-forth slugfest ensued between Johnny Fisher and Dave Allen, with Fisher taking home a split decision. In addition, Serhii Bohachuk forced Ishmael Davis to retire via a sixth-round TKO.
The following two fights saw back-to-back decision wins for Peter McGrail and Lee McGregor against Rhys Edwards and Issac Lowe, respectively.
Daniel Lapin opened the main card with a decision win against Dylan Colin in an IBF Intercontinental and WBA Continental light heavyweight title bout.
–Field Level Media
