RIYADH: Ukraine’s Oleks­andr Usyk retained his WBA (Super), WBO and WBC world heavyweight titles by unanimous decision against Britain’s Tyson Fury to remain undefeated after an enthralling clash in an electric atmosphere at the Riyadh Kingdom Arena on Saturday.

Giving up advantages in height, weight and reach to his much bigger opponent, Usyk fought superbly thro­u­ghout to win 116-112 on all three judges scorecards as he again defe­ated Fury after his success in May made him the undisputed champion.

Fury, 36, was much-improved from that first encounter where he wilted in the ninth round but could still not solve the puzzle posed by the 37-year-old Usyk, whose superb movement saw him force the Briton onto the back foot for much of the bout.

Tipping the scales at a career-high 281 pounds (127kg), 55 pounds (25kg) heavier than Usyk, Fury started at a high tempo and tried to control the centre of the ring using his jab, but the Ukrainian matched him and tried back his opponent up by ducking inside and unleashing combinations.

By the fourth round Usyk started to find the range for his left hand, but 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 him on the forehead, and by the seventh he slowed, moving to southpaw late in the round 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 to take a convincing victory.

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. “He’s a great fighter, it’s a great performance. Unbelievable 24 rounds for my career.”

Usyk was called out in the ring by Britain’s Daniel Dubois, who he beat with a ninth-round stoppage in controversial circumstances in August 2023 after a fifth-round knockdown of Usyk was ruled to have been a low blow.

Disappointed by the second loss of his professional career, the usually talk­ative Fury left the ring without doing an interview, leaving his promoter Frank Warren to speak on his be­h­alf and express disbelief at the scoring.

“How can Tyson only get four rou­nds in this fight? It’s impossible,” War­ren said, adding he thought Fury had won.

“He’s very disappointed, as I am as well. But, I mean, I’m not saying the­re’s any bias (on my part). Everybody along the front there, we all thought the same way.”

Usyk, though, dismissed Warren’s complaints.

“Uncle Frank, I think is blind... crazy man,” joked the Ukrainian.

The defeat also opens up an uncertain future for the 36-year-old Fury, now 34-2-1, who announced his retirement in 2022 only to return to the ring.

“I thought I’ve won both fights, but then again I’ve got two losses on my record now, so there’s not much I can do about it,” said Fury, who refused to discuss his next steps.

Fury insisted Usyk got an early Christmas gift from the judges

“Listen, it is what it is. I’m not going to cry over spilt milk, it’s happened now,” said Fury. “I know boxing, I’ve been in it all my life — you can’t change no decisions. But I feel a little bit hard done by, actually a lot.” He added: “There was a little bit of Christmas spirit in there. He got a little Christmas gift.”

After the bout Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky hailed the victory, calling it proof that Ukraine “will not give up what’s ours” after nearly three years of war with Russia.

“Victory!” Zelensky said in a post on Telegram. “So important and so nec­e­ssary for all of us now.”—

Published in Dawn, December 23rd, 2024