Usyk strikes fury in heavyweight championship rematch

Text size

Oleksandr Usyk won his heavyweight championship rematch against Tyson Fury by unanimous decision on Saturday to remain undefeated across two divisions and cement his place among the greats.

The Ukrainian, who pushed the pace and repeatedly tagged Fury with his accurate left hook, was awarded the fight 116-112 by all three judges.

Usyk’s win brings him to 23-0 with 14 knockouts and extends one of the best careers of all time that includes Olympic gold and undisputed cruiserweight champion.

Only the WBA, WBO and WBC belts were up for grabs this time after Usyk, focusing on the lucrative rematch, relinquished his IBF title instead of facing challenger Daniel Dubois.

By beating Fury in May, “The Cat” had already joined the likes of Muhammad Ali, Joe Louis and Mike Tyson as the undisputed heavyweight, and the first of the four-belt era.

Defeat opens up an uncertain future for the 36-year-old Fury, now 34-2-1, who announced his retirement in 2022 only to change his mind and return to the ring.

th/bb