Former world champion and boxing expert Johnny Nelson believes that the referee saved British ex-champion Tyson Fury (34-1-1, 24 KOs) from a premature defeat in his bout against Oleksandr Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs).
"First of all, his legs gave out, and his resistance started to weaken. This happens to every fighter; Fury's legs weren’t the only thing that failed. His punch resistance and hand speed also deteriorated. He was slow, sluggish, couldn’t hurt a fly, and his chin was made of glass. If the referee hadn't stopped Usyk when he was pounding Fury in the 9th round, the fight would have ended right there.
Your resistance begins to fade, and your footwork becomes shaky. Usyk landed on Fury, and he looked like a pack of spaghetti. The referee saved him in the 9th round; he was hurt.
Usyk beat the younger Tyson Fury and did his job. Ngannou dominated Fury, hitting him with a left hook and sending him to the canvas. The judges saved Fury then, just like they did last night, but he clearly lost that fight.
Yes, the referee saved him. Usyk chased him around the ring. He cornered him, and the ropes were holding him up. The referee counted to eight, but it was a long count; the referee saved him," said Nelson.
As a result, Oleksandr Usyk won by split decision and became the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.