Haye: «Fury Went Down 3 Times in the 9th Round»

On the night of May 19 in Riyadh, a fight for the undisputed heavyweight championship took place between Oleksandr Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs) and Tyson Fury (34-1-1, 24 KOs). The bout lasted all 12 rounds and ended with a split decision victory for the Ukrainian.

After the fight, both boxers expressed their desire for a rematch. Former champion David Haye shared his thoughts on the Fight of the Century and explained why he doesn't believe a second bout will happen.

«What a fight! Oleksandr Usyk defeated Tyson Fury and won all the heavyweight belts. He did it in cruiserweight, and now in heavyweight. I didn’t expect Usyk to stand up to Tyson Fury the way he did. He didn’t leave him alone, just like he said before the fight. He burned Tyson Fury out, the amount of fuel in his tank got less and less until there was nothing left.

That 9th round really cemented it. Many say that if the ropes hold a fighter up, it counts as a knockdown. This means he went down 3 times in the 9th round because the ropes held him up about 3 or 4 times. But who cares, because the right guy won. I don’t think a rematch will happen for various reasons. But what a fight? Usyk, you are a legend,» said Haye.

Oleksandr Usyk is the first undisputed heavyweight champion since November 13, 1999, when Lennox Lewis defeated Evander Holyfield in a rematch.