Oleksandr Usyk successfully defended his world champion title, defeating Tyson Fury for the second time.
On the night of December 22, a rematch took place in the capital of Saudi Arabia – Riyadh, between Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk and British boxer Tyson Fury. The fight was for the WBC, WBA, and WBO titles, along with a special belt commemorating the 50th anniversary of the legendary match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, which is regarded as one of the greatest fights of the last century. In a tough battle, Usyk defeated Fury by unanimous decision, successfully defending his world champion title.
Oleksandr Uysk wants to make more history #Usyk2Fury | BUY NOW on TNT Sports Box Office ️ https://t.co/FXWiFF98Ej pic.twitter.com/A751Z6M4ES
— Boxing on TNT Sports (@boxingontnt) December 21, 2024
The first two rounds had Ukrainian fans quite anxious – Oleksandr took a few hard hits from the Brit. However, Usyk later landed a left hook to Fury's head, who responded with a shake of his own.
In the fifth round, Tyson began using dirty tactics, hitting the Ukrainian in the back of the head. The referee's response was sluggish. Usyk mainly defended himself, feeling the size advantage of his opponent. In the sixth round, the Brit took control of the center of the ring, yet Usyk successfully threw combinations of punches. Just before the bell, he landed a straight shot to Fury's chin.
The seventh round was entirely dominated by the Ukrainian: starting with a combination to the head, he finished with a straight punch to the forehead and another combination. Usyk continued to work on Fury's body, gradually pushing him back and out of the center of the ring. Tyson didn’t hesitate to strike below the belt. At the beginning of the championship rounds, both boxers exchanged punches – the Ukrainian landed a combination on the Brit, who retaliated with precise jabs.
In the final three minutes, Fury failed to surprise anyone – the Ukrainian confidently controlled his opponent's actions. The judges' scores favored Usyk – Oleksandr won by unanimous decision again with a score of 116:112 (all three judges gave the same score) and defended his WBA, WBO, and WBC championship titles.
116-112
— Boxing on TNT Sports (@boxingontnt) December 21, 2024
116-112
116-112
AND STILL.... Oleksandr Usyk defeats Tyson Fury in the rematch #Usyk2Fury | BUY NOW on TNT Sports Box Office ️ https://t.co/FXWiFF98Ej pic.twitter.com/p4A8TdUKiv
It’s worth recalling that on the night of May 19, Usyk defeated Tyson Fury by split decision (115:112, 114:113, 113:114), handing the Brit his first career loss. The Ukrainian became the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the 21st century and the first to unify four titles (prior to 2007, three titles – WBA, IBF, and WBC were sufficient for this title).
The 37-year-old Oleksandr Usyk began his professional career in 2008. He achieved his first significant victories at two world championships – winning bronze in 2009 and gold in 2011. In 2012, Usyk became the Olympic champion at the Summer Games in London. In 2013, he had his first professional fight in the cruiserweight division. By September 2015, Usyk was ranked number one in the WBO rankings among cruiserweights.
In 2018, the boxer decided to move up to the heavyweight division and since then has fought five bouts – against American Chazz Witherspoon, British Derek Chisora, two fights against British Anthony Joshua, and against British Daniel Dubois. All of these ended in victories for the Ukrainian. Throughout his career, Usyk has yet to lose a single fight.