Usyk–Fury 2: Fighters’ Reactions

On December 21 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, WBA, WBC, WBO, and IBO heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk (23-0, 14 KOs) defeated Tyson Fury (34-2-1, 24 KOs) by unanimous decision in their rematch.

The judges unanimously scored the bout 116-112 in Usyk’s favor, while the AI-assisted judge’s scorecard had it 118-112 for the Ukrainian.

After the fight, both fighters shared their thoughts on the outcome. Usyk expressed gratitude to his team and dedicated the victory to his mother, while Fury once again disagreed with the result.

“I won, that’s good. Were the judges' scorecards correct? I don’t know. I’m not a judge; I’m an athlete, a sportsman. That’s not my business. I won, thanks to God.

How do I get better in the second half of a fight? I train, prepare well, and my wife and children support me.

Tyson Fury is an excellent fighter, a great opponent. We’ve shared an incredible 24 rounds. These were unbelievable 24 rounds of my career. Thank you so much.

I want to dedicate this victory to my mother, Nadezhda Petrovna, who worries a lot about me and has been nervous for many years, as well as to all the mothers of Ukraine,” Usyk said.

Fury, who initially stormed out of the ring following the decision, later shared his frustrations with the result.

“By God, I thought I won this fight by at least three rounds.

I thought I had won again, but they robbed me again, like Larry Holmes. I was always on the front foot. When you don’t knock your opponent out, this kind of thing can happen.

I felt the Christmas spirit—I think the judges gave him a little Christmas gift,” Fury commented.