Repeat in Riyadh: Oleksandr Usyk Defeats Tyson Fury Again

Repeat in Riyadh: Oleksandr Usyk Defeats Tyson Fury Again

It didn’t quite reach the incredible highs of their first fight, but it was nevertheless a thoroughly absorbing world heavyweight title fight on Saturday night.

Oleksandr Usyk defeated Tyson Fury for the second time in Riyadh and is now the undisputed best heavyweight of his generation. Usyk retained his world heavyweight titles, and could now quite easily walk away into the boxing sunset. He now has nothing left to prove.

Fury was bigger, and I thought for large periods of the fight, he was better than he was back in May. He avoided any of the extreme peril he suffered in the first fight. Fury kept his concentration. Kept his chin better protected. But ultimately, it was to no avail. All three scoring officials scored it the same way, giving Usyk the fight by a unanimously agreed 116-112. I had it a little closer, giving Fury five rounds. In truth, a lot of the rounds were incredibly hard to score. Fury landed some really good eye-catching shots at times, but the volume for me was with Usyk. Fury threw more. Usyk landed more. That should count for something.

Fury and his inner circle thought he had won. They do have a small case for complaint, but I preferred the busier work of Usyk. But I did think it could go either way at the conclusion of the fight. But yet again, Fury struggled to fight at the same relentless pace as the man in front of him. The extra weight he carried was always going to affect his stamina. I expected Fury to gamble and go for broke. But he fought with respect and caution. Preservation of many things. Maybe the mental scars of that truly horrific 9th round the first time around still linger.

Usyk targeted the body from the opening seconds, and that investment paid off down the stretch. Fury didn’t use his extra weight as much as I thought he would, which I found more than a little strange. If you come in that heavy, use it. But I still thought after five rounds, he was ahead. The former WBC heavyweight champion had a really good 5th round. At that point, I had Fury up 3-2 in rounds. In truth, it could have been a little wider. The first four rounds is the portion of the fight that is up for at least some debate.

But as Usyk always does, he found another gear. The 6th was a clear round for the Ukrainian, and Fury looked as though he was fading badly once again. But Fury bravely stayed in the fight, even though he was losing round after round. I gave the 10th to Fury, which somewhat stopped the rot. But Usyk closed the fight out, winning the 11th and 12th rounds on my card.

It’s difficult to see where Tyson Fury goes from here. A second straight defeat leaves him facing an uncertain future. Maybe that long-talked-about mega-fight with Anthony Joshua finally gets signed, sealed, and delivered. With both fighters coming off defeats, they might now only have each other left to fight. Both British heavyweights look more than a touch fragile at this point in their careers. It’s still a big money fight, but it’s not the fight it could have been. Another missed opportunity. It now has a ring of Kell Brook vs. Amir Khan about it.

Oleksandr Usyk (23-0) will have a rest and could rematch Daniel Dubois again to pick up the only heavyweight bauble he doesn’t own. Dubois has to get past Joseph Parker early next year in defence of his IBF title, and it would make sense to tidy the heavyweight division up once again. But equally, Usyk might think why go over old ground again and just retire. That might be the most sensible move to make. His legacy is already complete.

Photo Credit: Dazn/Matchroom Boxing