Oleksandr Usyk says his rematch win over Tyson Fury on Saturday night was “easier” than his previous win in their first fight last May. Usyk (23-0, 12 KOs) successfully defended his three WBA, WBC, and WBO heavyweight titles, defeating Fury (34-2-1, 24 KOs) for the second time in Riyadh.
Usyk's fight wasn't necessarily an easy one for him, but it was “Easier” From their previous decision, which the judges scored as a 12-round split decision. This time, they gave it to Usyk via a 12-round unanimous decision with scores of 116-112, 116-112, and 116-112.
Usyk outpaced Fury by a wide margin with a higher contact rate. He was clearly the better fighter, and appeared to sweep the final seven rounds.
The “Gypsy King” had his moments in the rematch, but when he did, Usyk would come right back, landing several powerful strikes to gain the upper hand. This pattern was repeated in each round.
Tantrum
After the results were announced after the fight, Tyson walked out of the ring, looking childish and not wanting to stay to talk to the media. It is a passive-aggressive movement that people use to manipulate others to get their way.
In this case, this behavior made Fury look like… The baby is frowning. Tyson looked worse when he appeared at the post-fight press conference and insisted he had won, saying the judges had given Usyk a “Christmas present.”
“The fight was easy. Not easy, but easier than the first one,” said Oleksandr Usyk of the conference. Post-fight press conference Saturday night after defeating Tyson Fury in a rematch in Riyadh. “Tyson Fury is a great opponent. He's a tough boxer and a big guy.
“Uncle Frank is blind,” Usyk said of Fury’s promoter, Frank Warren, believing Tyson deserved to win three or four rounds. “If Fury says this is a 'Christmas present,' fine. I think Frank's a crazy man. Fine, no problem. I win.”
Usyk was telling it like it is, expressing his thoughts about Fury's promoter, Frank Warren, believing he deserved the win. It was disappointing for Warren to see Fury lose because it means that the trilogy fight between him and Usyk that Turki Al Sheikh talked about is now off the table. Fury still has Anthony Joshua to make big money fighting in 2025, but there won't be an extra huge payday against Usyk in a third fight.
Oleksandr swept back
“I did (agree with the results). The first rounds were close,” Sunny Edwards told Combat Center TV.
“The fight wasn't as great as the first time, but you could see that both men respected each other. They weren't trying to give away much, but when they started shooting their hands, the fireworks started. It was a bit late. This wasn't the scene.” Most classic, but Usyk did what he had to do to get the win.
“I think Fury was a lot better tactically. He stayed on his side of things. He was punching and trying to undo Usyk,” Edwards said.
