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Boxing: Usyk beats Fury again, remains undisputed champion

December 22, 2024

Ukraine's Oledsandr Usyk dashed Tyson Fury's hopes of revenge in their undisputed heavyweight champion rematch. The judges' decision was unanimous on points, but also fairly narrow after a balanced fight.

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Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - December 22, 2024: Oleksandr Usyk celebrates after winning the Heavyweight World Title.
All three judges scored the fight in Usyk's favor by four pointsImage: Andrew Couldridge/Action Images/Reuters

Ukrainian heavyweight Oleksandr Usyk retains all four WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight boxing championship belts after again besting his British rival Tyson Fury in Saudi Arabia on Saturday night. 

Despite another closely-matched fight between the pair, judges were unanimous in the points decision, with all three scoring the fight 116-112 in the 37-year-old Usyk's favor. 

Smaller, more mobile Usyk finds gaps in Fury's defenses

Despite giving up advantages in height, weight and reach to his opponent, Usyk was the harder worker during the rematch and also landed punches more frequently and with greater impact.

Late in the sixth round, in particular, a combination of a right hand to the body followed by a left to the forehead from Usyk seemed to shake Fury, but the bell soon intervened. 

Boxers Britain's Tyson Fury, right, and Ukraine's Oleksandr Usyk compete during their WBA, WBO, and WBC world heavyweight title fight in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024.
Usyk (blue shorts) had Fury on the ropes late in the sixth roundImage: Frank Augstein/AP Photo/picture alliance

Asked after the decision if he felt the judges' verdict was fair, Usyk shrugged and indicated it wasn't for him to say. 

"I win, it's good ... I'm not the judges, I'm a sportsman, I'm an athlete," he said, before praising his sons who he said had been involved in judo competitions earlier on Saturday.

The usually talkative Fury left the ring without speaking, seemingly disappointed at defeat.

Boxers Britain's Tyson Fury, left, and Ukraine's Oleksandr Usyk compete during their WBA, WBO, and WBC world heavyweight title fight in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024
Fury (red shorts) tried to use his reach and size advantage to control the fight from the center of the ring, but 'the Cat' was evasive enough to find ways round his guardImage: Frank Augstein/AP Photo/picture alliance

Saturday's fight in Saudi Arabia was the pair's second bout this year, after Usyk's points win in May in the same arena. 

Usyk is the first boxer to hold all four heavyweight titles simultaneously since Lennox Lewis did so for just a few months in 1999.

"The Cat" is in elite company on this front, with past heavyweight stars like Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, George Foreman and Mike Tyson.

Zelenskyy lauds victory

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reacted soon after the decision in a post on Telegram. 

"Victory! So important and so necessary for us now," he said. "Having retained the championship belts, Oleksandr proves: we are Ukrainians and we will not give up what's ours. And no matter how difficult it is — we will win."

msh/mfi (dpa, Reuters)