Oleksandr Usyk kept his heavyweight titles in a close fight against Tyson Fury in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The judges gave the Ukrainian the win with three 116-112 scorecards.
This rematch came after their first bout in May 2023, where Usyk won by split decision. The scoring in this second fight has caused some debate in the boxing world.
Former world champion Amir Khan shared his thoughts on the fight with Box Nation. He had expected Fury to win before the bout but found the actual fight to be very close.
"Look, it was a close fight. It could've gone either way in my opinion. What did [the judges] give Tyson, four rounds? Yeah, 8-4. I don't think it was that honestly. I had it even in round ten going into the final two rounds. I thought Tyson might've nicked it. It could've gone either way, but with them both the very best."
Khan noticed that Fury landed some big shots on Usyk during the fight. He also expressed disappointment for British boxing fans, saying, "Tough day for the Brits. We wanted those titles home."
Fury himself thinks he won by at least three rounds. His promoter, Frank Warren, agrees with this view. But Usyk doesn't see it that way at all. At the post-fight press conference, he called Warren "blind" for suggesting Fury had won.
The close nature of the fight and the different opinions from fighters, experts, and promoters show just how competitive this heavyweight clash was. It seems the debate over who really won will continue for some time.
