WBC President Reacts to Usyk – Fury Judging

On the night of May 19 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, a bout for the undisputed world heavyweight champion title (over 90.7 kg) took place between Oleksandr Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs) and Tyson Fury (34-1-1, 24 KOs). The fight ended with a split decision victory for the Ukrainian: 115-112 (Usyk), 114-113 (Usyk), and 113-114 (Fury). World Boxing Council (WBC) President Mauricio Sulaiman commented on the judges' scoring:

"There are those who questioned and even criticized judge Craig Metcalfe's score, as he had it 114-113 in favor of Fury. After a detailed analysis, it turned out that everything was decided in the 11th round. This episode was scored 10-9 in favor of Fury.

Judge Fitzgerald, whose final score was 114-113 in favor of Usyk, scored the 11th round in favor of Usyk – 10-9. It was a close round that was difficult to score. If Judge Fitzgerald had given this round to Fury, his final score would have been 114-113 in favor of Tyson.

With this simple analysis, any accusations against Craig Metcalfe are ruled out. He is an honorable man and deserves respect, as he is a great judge," wrote Sulaiman.

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