Oleksandr Usyk Reveals Surprising Source of Hardest Punch He's Ever Felt: "Like a Cartoon"

Oleksandr Usyk, the man who beat Tyson Fury in May to become the undisputed heavyweight champion, says Fury's uppercuts packed a serious punch during their fight.

Usyk won by split decision, making him the first undisputed heavyweight champ since Lennox Lewis almost 25 years ago. The fight was close, with Fury controlling the middle rounds. But Usyk turned things around in the ninth, nearly putting Fury away. That 10-8 round ended up being crucial for Usyk's win.

Looking back on the fight, Usyk talked about how hard Fury hit him. In a YouTube video, he said:

"The uppercut, it hurt, it hurt a lot. You all watch cartoons, remember there some cartoon character has something in his head, birds are flying, well, that's really it birds are flying yes some storks were flying near me."

Usyk's description of 'seeing birds' after taking Fury's uppercuts shows just how powerful those shots were.

But Fury sees things differently. He claims the fight was actually easier than he expected. Fury said:

"It was actually a lot easier than I thought it would be; a lot easier. People were saying he was a hard man to hit; I was lighting him up with three-and-four-punch combinations – laughing at him. My problem in that fight, I was having too much fun; it was probably too easy – at times, it was too easy. It was like I was in there with a local amateur boxer; I was enjoying it too much and messing around with him."

Fury thinks he lost because he wasn't focused enough, finding the fight 'too easy'.

The rematch is set for December 21 in Saudi Arabia. Usyk, who moved up from cruiserweight, remains the only man to beat 'The Gypsy King' as a pro. Both fighters will want to prove themselves in this second bout, with the undisputed heavyweight title on the line once again.