On Saturday, December 21, a major professional boxing event took place in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia). In the main fight of the evening, Oleksandr Usyk (23-0, 14 KOs) defended his WBC, WBO, WBA, and IBO titles in the heavyweight division by defeating British fighter Tyson Fury (34-2-1, 24 KOs).
The Ukrainian boxer won the match according to all judges, including Artificial Intelligence. This was reported by "Telegraph".
Usyk showcased superior footwork and delivered combinations effectively. In contrast, Fury frequently employed his jab, clinched, and occasionally resorted to unsportsmanlike tactics against the Ukrainian. Notably, Tyson threw more punches than Alexander, but Usyk was significantly more accurate. According to statistics from CompuBox, the Ukrainian landed 179 punches compared to 144 by the Brit.
In their first encounter, which also took place in Riyadh, Usyk defeated Fury by split decision. At that time, the "Gypsy King" also refused to acknowledge his defeat.
It is worth noting that four Ukrainians participated in the Usyk — Fury 2 boxing event. In a 10-round undercard bout, Ukrainian fighter Andriy Novitsky defended his title in the heavyweight division. Following that, Daniel Lapin won by decision against an undefeated boxer and claimed a secondary championship belt. Additionally, Ukrainian Serhiy Bohachuk achieved a knockout victory in a WBC eliminator match.