Oleksandr Usyk (right) came out on top to defeat Tyson Fury in Riyadh. (Getty Images: Richard Pelham)
In short:
Oleksandr Usyk beat Tyson Fury by unanimous decision to stay undisputed world heavyweight champion.
He retained his WBA (Super), WBO and WBC titles to keep his undefeated professional record intact.
What's next?
Usyk may next face Great Britain's Daniel Dubois in a rematch following their first clash last year.
Oleksandr Usyk has beaten Tyson Fury in an epic 12-round bout to remain undisputed world heavyweight champion.
Ukraine's Usyk won by unanimous decision in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
He retains his WBA (Super), WBO and WBC titles to keep his undefeated professional record intact.
Usyk defeated Fury when they first fought in Saudi Arabia last May, winning by a split decision.
Giving up advantages in height, weight and reach to Fury, Usyk fought superbly throughout to win 116-112 on all three judges' scorecards.
Tipping the scales at a career-high 127 kilograms — 25kg heavier than Usyk — Fury started at a high tempo and tried to control the centre of the ring using his jab.
Fury (left) had his moments against Usyk but struggled with fatigue as the bout wore on. (Reuters: Andrew Couldridge)
But Usyk matched his British opponent, while ducking inside and unleashing combinations.
By the fourth round Usyk started to find the range for his left hand, however Fury adjusted and went hard to the body in the fifth as the fight ebbed and flowed.
Fury appeared to be stung late in the sixth with a right hand to the body followed by a sharp left that struck the 36-year-old on the forehead.
He slowed down by the seventh round, moving to a southpaw stance as he struggled with fatigue.
Fury's reliance on hard shots in ones and twos to the body did little to stop Usyk from marching forward, usually finishing his flurries with his fearsome left hand.
A good start to the 10th by Fury did not last and Usyk was soon back controlling the angles, finishing the frame at a furious pace and coasting through the final two rounds take a convincing victory.
Usyk was scored 116-112 by all three judges. (Getty Images: Richard Pelham)
Asked in his post-fight interview in the ring if he thought the scorecards were correct, Usyk shrugged.
"I win, it's good … I'm not the judges. I'm a sportsman. I'm an athlete," Usyk said.
Usyk, 37, was called out in the ring by Great Britain's Daniel Dubois, who he beat with a ninth-round stoppage in controversial circumstances in August 2023.
Disappointed by the second loss of his professional career, the usually talkative Fury left the ring without speaking.
Reuters
