Oleksandr Usyk remains the heavyweight champion of the world after emerging victorious over Tyson Fury by points decision at the end of their rematch in the early hours of Sunday in Riyadh.
Both fighters landed heavy blows in search of a knock-out that did not come. Fury’s uppercut in the fifth round forced Usyk to retreat, before the Ukrainian came roaring back in the next round and landed a left punch.
Fury started to tire as the fight wore on, which was to Usyk’s advantage as he dominated the bout from thee seventh round since he weighs relatively much less than the Gypsy King.
In the end, Usyk was declared winner after scoring 116-112 on all three cards to retain the WBA, WBC and WBO title belts – a remarkable feat for the Ukrainian who previously reigned as undisputed world cruiserweight champion before crossing weight divisions and replicating the feat in the heavyweight category.
For Fury, it marks a brutal end to months of intense preparation for this rematch, having lost by split-decision in their first fight back in May.