Oleksandr Usyk defeats Tyson Fury to retain unified heavyweight championship – as it happened
And Oleksandr Usyk has done it! The Ukrainian has retained his unified heavyweight champion with a unanimous decision over Tyson Fury.All three ringside judges handed down scores of 116-112.Here’s a look at how they scored it round by round.(The Guardian had it 115-113 to Usyk.)That’s all for tonight.
Thanks as always for following along with us and be sure to read Donald McRae’s full ringside report here.Compubox’s punch statistics lend numerical context to tonight’s result.Usyk landed 179 of 423 punches (42.3%), compared to 144 of 509 for Fury (28.3%).
Much like in their first encounter, the tireless Ukrainian poured it on over the second half of the fight, landing 54% of his power shots over the last five rounds while saving his most prolific rounds for the 11th (22 punches landed) and 12th (20).Fury leaves the ring without giving an interview.But his promoter Frank Warren is there to speak for him after Usyk is finished.“How could Tyson only got four rounds from this fight?” Warren says.“It’s impossible.
Four rounds, across all three judges.Each of them four rounds, all different rounds.”Warren is asked what Fury will do next.“I don’t know,” he says.“I mean, he’s very disappointed as I am as well.
But I mean, I would genuinely...I’m not saying any bias.Everybody along the front there.
We all thought it was [much closer].”Will we see Fury in the ring again?“That’s up to him,” Warren says.“That’s up to him.I mean, you know, it’s too early.It’s just after a fight, obviously emotions are running high.
We’ll see,But you know, it’s nuts,Nuts,I don’t get it,I’m really, really disappointed.
But look, it’s what it is and we’ll have to see what happens in the future for Tyson,”Daniel Dubois, the IBF’s heavyweight champion, then crashes the interview, grabbing the microphone and saying: “Well done on tonight,God bless,I want my revenge for the robbery last time,Let’s get it.
Let’s go.”Usyk doesn’t look too impressed.“Your Excellency,” Usyk says.“Organize it.Make me.
Make me fight with Daniel Dubois.Thank you so much.”Dubois then exits stage right and the in-ring interview resumes.The champion is asked what he makes of Fury as a fighter after 24 shared rounds together.“It’s a great fighter,” he says of Fury.
“It’s a great opponent.It’s a great 24 rounds, an unbelievable 24 rounds for my career.”Usyk then says: “I want to devote this victory to my mama, Nadezhda.She’s worrying about me all the time.And I want to say to her, thank you very much for everything you’ve done to me.
And I devote this to her and to all mothers of Ukraine.”The final question: what more does Usyk have to achieve? What more does he want to achieve.A simple answer: “I can.More.”“I win,” Usyk says, when asked if he thought the scorecards were correct.
“Is good.[The scores are] not my deal.I win.Thank you, God.”Asked why he once again was able to find another gear past the middle rounds of the fight, the champion is to the point.
“I don’t know,” he says.“Maybe I’m trained.Good prepared.My wife helped me.My children.
Listen, today for me is a very happy day.Because my both guys, my sons, today win competition too, in the judo.My son Kyrylo and my son Mykhalio take judo belt orange and green.My son, talk to me: ‘Hey, Papa.You next.
’ I say, ‘OK, I’m trying.’”And Oleksandr Usyk has done it! The Ukrainian has retained his unified heavyweight champion with a unanimous decision over Tyson Fury.All three ringside judges handed down scores of 116-112.Here’s a look at how they scored it round by round.(The Guardian had it 115-113 to Usyk.
)Round 12Fury is pressing forward with urgency, seemingly knowing he needs a knockout, but he’d better be careful as Usyk is timing him carefully and looking to catch him on the way inside.Fury really letting his hands go, attacking with abandon while alternating between southpaw and orthodox stances, but Usyk is taking the shots well and giving back as good as he’s getting.There’s the final bell and Usyk stands in the center of the ring looking skyward with gloves to the side.As good as it gets at the heavyweight level.What a fight!Guardian’s unofficial score: Usyk 9-10 Fury (Usyk 115-113 Fury)Round 11Usyk’s boxing is making a bigger statement than Fury’s occasional pockets of success, which have mostly come with the uppercut.
Usyk continues to press forward, throwing shots to the head and body from creative angles that Fury can’t account for,The challenger lands a pair of lumbering shots to the midsection but Usyk just smiles,Usyk’s dexterity is really taking over,He lands a left square on Fury’s chin that appears to stun the bigger man,The champion is in full command.
Speed kills,Guardian’s unofficial score: Usyk 10-9 Fury (Usyk 106-103 Fury)Round 10Fury is trying to hold the center of the ring but Usyk remains on the attack,Fury throws shots then leans on Usyk in clinches with greater success than in previous rounds,Usyk lands a couple of shots upstairs,A left hand from Usyk to the head and Fury immediately clinches.
Fury lands an uppercut but Usyk fires right back with a combination! A two-way firefight near the end of the round but Usyk gets the better of it.Very close round, almost too close to call.Guardian’s unofficial score: Usyk 9-10 Fury (Usyk 96-94 Fury)Round 9Compubox’s punch statistics indicate Usyk is throwing and landing more shots and at a higher percentage, but this is still a competitive fight.For now, at least.The champion is really pushing this pace and Fury is having trouble keeping up.
Usyk’s body work is slowing the challenger down, allowing the smaller man to stalk his foe and take the power out of Fury’s shots.By the end of the round Fury is moving entirely in reverse and looks completely exhausted.Guardian’s unofficial score: Usyk 10-9 Fury (Usyk 87-84 Fury)Round 8Fury is slowing down and you begin to wonder if the career-high weight is working against him.Usyk continues to keep the pressure on, moving forward relentlessly and firing away with left hands over the top.Now Fury comes forward while trying to re-establish his jab, but Usyk remains a slippery target before catching him with a combination upstairs followed by a body shot.
What poise and composure from the champion, say nothing of his conditioning!Guardian’s unofficial score: Usyk 10-9 Fury (Usyk 77-75 Fury)Round 7Usyk fighting off the front foot in the first minute of the seventh as Fury appears to be feeling the pace.The referee is breaking up all of these clinches quickly, which plays in the champion’s favor.Usyk lunges in and lands a left hand upstairs that buzzes Fury! Fury is on the back foot, his activity slowing down quite a bit, with Usyk hunting him down.Fury switches to southpaw again near the end of the round and Usyk catches him with another left to the head.That Usyk left hand won the round by itself.
Guardian’s unofficial score: Usyk 10-9 Fury (Usyk 67-66 Fury)Round 6The pace has slowed a touch at the start of the sixth but who can blame them.Usyk lands an overhand right but Fury returns with a jab-left hook combination.Usyk lands a crisp one-two combo to the head punctuated by a left hand over the top.More excellent lateral movement from Usyk, who catches Fury with his guard down near the end of the round and lands a flush overhand left hand upstairs that buzzes the challenger! Halfway through the scheduled 12 rounds and we’ve got another classic in the offing.Guardian’s unofficial score: Usyk 10-9 Fury (Usyk 57-57 Fury)Round 5Fury lands a punishing right uppercut to the body, his best shot of the fight.
He’s using his size and crowding the champion, tying Usyk up along the ropes and trying to lean on him, only the first time he’s managed to get him in the clinch.The round ends with Fury walking down his foe, throwing and landing more shots.Another very competitive round but the easiest of the fight to score thus far.Guardian’s unofficial score: Usyk 9-10 Fury (Usyk 47-48 Fury)Round 4The frenetic pace continues as Usyk continues to land more while throwing less.Fury switches to a southpaw stance and Usyk lands a one-two combination followed by a massive left hand that appears to hurt Fury! He’s backed up to the ropes and the crowd swells! Fury switches back and fires back with confidence, holding off the oncoming champion with a flush right uppercut
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