Lennox Lewis on Knockdown in Usyk-Fury Fight: "The Referee Did a Great Job"

Former undisputed heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis shared his thoughts on a pivotal moment in the ninth round of the first fight between WBA, WBC, WBO, and IBO heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs) and former champion Tyson Fury (34-1-1, 24 KOs).

According to Lewis, American referee Mark Nelson did an excellent job handling the situation.

"Fury took a shot to the nose, which forced him back to the ropes. He used the ropes to stay on his feet. The ropes were holding him up.

I think the referee did a great job in this fight because another ref might have stopped it. But this one stayed focused, didn’t halt the fight, and let them box," said Lewis.

As a reminder, on May 18, Oleksandr Usyk defeated Tyson Fury via split decision, becoming the first undisputed heavyweight champion in 25 years (over 90.7 kg). In 1999, it was Lennox Lewis who achieved undisputed status in the division, defeating Evander Holyfield in their rematch.

The rematch between Usyk and Fury is set to take place on December 21 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.