Oleksandr Usyk proved to his doubters that his 2021 victory over Anthony Joshua was no fluke, winning a split decision in their rematch Saturday in Saudi Arabia.
In the process the Ukrainian heavyweight moved his record to a perfect 20-0 (13 KO’s) and retained his WBA, WBO and IBF belts. While one judge scored the bout 115-113 for Joshua, the other two turned in tallies of 115-113 and 116-112 in favour of the champion.
For his part, Joshua was gracious in defeat, calling Usyk “a phenomenal talent” in the ring following the contest.
Usyk was the busier of the two boxers on the night throwing 220 more punches than Joshua (712 to 492), and landing more power shots (131 to 101) as well. However his mettle was tested in the 9th round when the challenger connected with a hard right to put the 35 year old on unsteady legs.
Joshua, sensing an opening, chased Usyk around the ring for the better part of the 9th round, unleashing vicious combinations which the champion had little response to. In total, the Brit threw 67 punches landing 28 of them, which accounted for 23% of his total punches landed on the night.
But before he could build on the momentum, Usyk flipped the script in the 10th and had arguably his best round of the night as he landed power punches from a variety of angles, connecting on 39 of 95 punches thrown.
After the bout, Usyk was quick to thank those back home in Ukraine who had been pulling for him and dedicated the fight to them. “I want to thank everyone who prayed for me…I dedicate this victory to my country, to my family, to my team … to all military members defending the country,” the champion stated.
From there however, it didn’t take long for the 6’3” 3-belt champ to call out the “retired” Tyson Fury in a bout that would finally crown an undisputed heavyweight champion. “I’m sure that Tyson Fury is not retired yet,” said Usyk. “I’m sure. I’m convinced he wants to fight me. I want to fight him. And if I’m not fighting Tyson Fury, I’m not fighting at all.”
The announcement drew an immediate response from Fury who quickly posted a video on Instagram saying “Get your f*cking chequebook out because ‘The Gypsy King’ is here to stay forever!”.
A potential unification bout between Usyk and Fury would be one of the biggest in all boxing, with reports indicating that Saudi Arabia is already eyeballing December as a potential date to host the fight.
With plenty of hurdles to clear, especially financially, a Usyk vs. Fury fight isn’t a guarantee. But if it does materialize, fight fans will be treated to a battle for the ages.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @JKyleSkinner
Photo: Andriy Makukha. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.