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Tyson Fury stormed out of the ring after his defeat to Oleksandr Usyk before taking aim at the ‘Larry Holmes’ judges who scored the heavyweight title rematch

In a fiery response to his defeat in the heavyweight title rematch, Tyson Fury blasted that Oleksandr Usyk received an early Christmas present. An incensed Fury departed the ring without indulging in the customary post-fight interview after digesting the judges’ scoring of his loss to the Ukrainian champion.

The closely contested bout concluded with Usyk keeping his WBC, WBA and WBO titles, with 116-112 scorecards favoring him across the board. Fury vented his frustration backstage, asserting: “Honestly, I thought I won by three rounds”.

Despite various opinions on whether Fury or Usyk triumphed, including from an AI judge, the official judges harshly scored against Fury’s performance during the latter half. Judge ‘Jerry’ Martinez awarded Fury three of the first five rounds but then assigned the following six straight to Usyk, save for the final round which went to the Gypsy King.

Tyson Fury fumes at Oleksandr Usyk loss in backstage footage after skipping interview
AI judge scorecard for Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk released in boxing first

Patrick Morley started by giving Fury four of the initial five rounds, yet sided with the champion for the next seven. The third judge, Ignacio Robles, only gave Fury one of the last seven rounds, despite initially having him ahead after five.

Fury’s promoter, Frank Warren, expressed his outrage over the scoring that he found utterly unbelievable. “It’s impossible,” Warren declared.

“How did Tyson only get four rounds in this fight? Everyone across the front all thought the same way. It’s nuts. Did you only give him four rounds. Nuts. I don’t get it. Really disappointed with that.

“I thought Tyson was in control. Thought he boxed extremely well. One judge didn’t give him any round from round six onwards. How can that be? Same with the other judge here. He gave him one round of the last six. It’s crazy. A nonsense.

“Oscar de le Hoya and I had him [Fury] winning by three or four rounds. What fight were they watching? You lose you lose, that’s fair enough. But come on. It’s nuts.

BOXING

Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury 2 full results and highlights: Usyk puts Fury behind him for good, defends heavyweight titles

Oleksandr Usyk is still the king of the heavyweight division. The future Hall of Famer closed the book on his rivalry with Tyson Fury in brilliant fashion on Saturday, once again coming on strong in the middle and late rounds to claim a unanimous decision over Fury and defend his WBA, WBC and WBO heavyweight titles in a back-and-forth bout at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

All three ringside judges scored the bout 116-112 for Usyk (23-0, 14 KOs), who also won a closely contested split decision over Fury (34-2-1, 24 KOs) in May to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion of boxing’s four-belt era.

Usyk, 37, now seals the rivalry at 2-0 and likely puts Fury, 36, behind him for good.

Afterward, Usyk’s post-fight interview was interrupted by IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois, who called for a chance to rematch Usyk after he defends his belt against Joseph Parker on Feb. 22. Usyk accepted Dubois’ callout, having already defeated Dubois via ninth-round knockout in August 2023.

A disappointed Fury departed the ring without speaking, however Queensberry Promotions’ Frank Warren expressed frustration with the decision and said he believed Fury should’ve won.

In the night’s co-featured bout, 19-year-old Moses Itauma made a thunderous statement as the potential future of boxing’s heavyweight division, knocking out Demsey McKean in less than two minutes.

Itauma (11-0, 9 KOs) celebrates his 20th birthday on Dec. 28 and remains on track to potentially break Mike Tyson’s record as boxing’s youngest heavyweight champion ever, though he’d have to do so in 2025.

McKean (22-2, 14 KOs) has now lost two fights in a row after starting his pro career a perfect 22-0.

Relive all the action with full Usyk vs. Fury 2 results, highlights and Uncrowned’s full card live blog below.

BOXING

Oleksandr Usyk beat Tyson Fury: Heavyweight boxing – as it happened

This page is now closed. Thanks for joining us. These were the updates as Oleksandr Usyk beat Tyson Fury on Sunday, December 22:

Champion Oleksandr Usyk of Ukraine defeated the United Kingdom’s Tyson Fury in the rematch of their heavyweight boxing title fight.
The bout at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, resulted in a unanimous points decision after 12 hard-fought rounds.
Usyk beat Fury in May in a split decision to become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.
The Ukrainian boxer was the first heavyweight to achieve this since Lennox Lewis in 1999.
Fury immediately called for a rematch as had been stipulated in the fight terms but on this occasion, he immediately left the ring showing his clear disappointment at the judges’ calls.

Keep up to date: Follow Al Jazeera Sport and Al Jazeera Sport on X for the latest news, features and live events from around the globe.

That’s a wrap

Our coverage is ending now, thanks so much for joining us for an enthralling evening of boxing.

Al Jazeera will be back on Sunday with more live sporting action, but for now, it’s goodbye from Patrick Keddie and Kevin Hand.

More from Usyk

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

“He’s a great fighter, it’s a great performance,” Usyk, 37, said of Fury, who was unbeaten in 35 fights until he lost their four-belt unification bout in May.

“Unbelievable 24 rounds for my career.”

BOXING

Oleksandr Usyk defeats Tyson Fury to retain unified heavyweight championship – as it happened

Usyk beats Fury by unanimous decision!

And Oleksandr Usyk has done it! The Ukrainian has retained his unified heavyweight champion with a unanimous decision over Tyson Fury. All three ringside judges handed down scores of 116-112. Here’s a look at how they scored it round by round. (The Guardian had it 115-113 to Usyk.)

Compubox’s punch statistics lend numerical context to tonight’s result. Usyk landed 179 of 423 punches (42.3%), compared to 144 of 509 for Fury (28.3%). Much like in their first encounter, the tireless Ukrainian poured it on over the second half of the fight, landing 54% of his power shots over the last five rounds while saving his most prolific rounds for the 11th (22 punches landed) and 12th (20).

Fury leaves the ring without giving an interview. But his promoter Frank Warren is there to speak for him after Usyk is finished.

“How could Tyson only got four rounds from this fight?” Warren says. “It’s impossible. Four rounds, across all three judges. Each of them four rounds, all different rounds.”

Warren is asked what Fury will do next.

“I don’t know,” he says. “I mean, he’s very disappointed as I am as well. But I mean, I would genuinely … I’m not saying any bias. Everybody along the front there. We all thought it was [much closer].”

Will we see Fury in the ring again?

“That’s up to him,” Warren says. “That’s up to him. I mean, you know, it’s too early. It’s just after a fight, obviously emotions are running high. We’ll see. But you know, it’s nuts. Nuts. I don’t get it. I’m really, really disappointed. But look, it’s what it is and we’ll have to see what happens in the future for Tyson.”

BOXING

Tyson Fury breaks silence after second loss to Oleksandr Usyk with honest take on judges’s scorecards

Tyson Fury has spoken out about the scorecards as he lost for a second time to Oleksandr Usyk in Saudi Arabia.

The Manchester native was defeated by Usyk for the first time in May, before pushing for an immediate rematch just a few months later. That second bout happened on Saturday night in Riyadh, with the Brit coming out on the wrong side of a unanimous decision of eight rounds to four.

His future now remains unclear, as Usyk seems to be moving towards either retirement or a rematch with Daniel Dubois, who stormed the ring to challenge his rival.

Tyson Fury loses close decision to Oleksandr Usyk in rematch

In front of a packed crowd of celebrities and fight fans at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Tyson Fury looked to become the first man to dethrone Oleksandr Usyk as a professional. The pair’s May meeting was a razor-close split decision, decided by a knockdown in the ninth that swung it to the Ukrainian.

This time around, Fury piled on 19lb to weigh in at 288lb and looked every bit the bigger man as he lumbered through 12 rounds, clearly looking for the big shots that could fell Usyk. The ex-cruiserweight champion had tipped the scales at a career heaviest of 226lb, but was still 55lb less than his rival.

Ultimately, it was Usyk’s ability to move and stay limber while landing the biggest shots and outpunching his rival that got him the victory. All three judges were in agreement with a scorecard of 116-112, meaning Fury won just four rounds to Usyk’s eight.

Tyson Fury breaks his silence after losing to Oleksandr Usyk

As he was walking through the backstage area, Fury ran into his old trainer Ben Davison, who helped him to return to fitness after a lengthy spell out from 2015 to 2018 where he had ballooned to over 400lb. The pair shared a moment, which was captured by Sky Sports and seemingly IFL TV.

BOXING

Claressa Shields Explains Her Surprising Reasons For Wanting To Fight Remy Ma

Wasn’t the Papoose drama the straw that broke this camel’s back?

It seems like the cheating scandal between Remy Ma and Papoose is a bit more complicated than we thought, although it has nothing to do with the actual relationship. For those unaware, the former accused the latter of cheating on her with boxer Claressa Shields, but Remy has some cheating allegations of her own with battle rapper Eazy The Block Captain. The big shocker is that Shields’ desire to box the New York femcee has nothing to do with these claims of infidelity. In a teaser for her upcoming interview with Jemele Hill, the world champion revealed her real problems with Remy and spoke on their Instagram spat.

Furthermore, Claressa Shields had challenged any woman to beat her in a boxing match for $100,000, and while no one’s stepped forward, she clarified that she would fight Remy Ma for far less cash. “At this point the girl leaked my number,” the boxer expressed. “So at this point, you can give me a dollar and I’ll put my hand over her.” As such, it seems like this wouldn’t be a fight over Papoose, but rather a fight to make up for a perceived invasion of privacy.

BOXING

Claressa Shields vs. Danielle Perkins is now for the undisputed heavyweight championship

All four heavyweight world titles – three of them vacant, one of which never existed before – will be on the line when Claressa Shields takes on Danielle Perkins on February 2.

That means Shields vs Perkins will be for the undisputed heavyweight championship, giving Shields an opportunity to become undisputed in a third weight class.

This may get a little confusing, so stick with us for a moment:

When Shields defeated Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse in July, she won the WBC heavyweight title and the vacant WBO light heavyweight belt.

The weight limit for Lepage-Joanisse was at 175 pounds. In women’s boxing, the WBC goes from super middleweight straight to heavyweight, with anything above 168 pounds being considered a heavyweight bout.

Shields will defend her WBC heavyweight title against Perkins – and will be vying for the vacant IBF, WBA and WBO belts.

The IBF’s rankings list only two fighters at heavyweight: Perkins and Minellis Blanco. The world title is vacant.

The WBA has never had a heavyweight division before but will be creating one for this fight, according to Chris DeBlasio, a spokesman for Salita Promotions, which promotes Shields.

Until now, the highest weight class for the WBA was light heavyweight, which has seven fighters, including titleholder Che Kenneally.
The WBO has cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions, though there is no one currently ranked at cruiserweight and only two people are rated at heavyweight: Lepage-Joanisse (who hasn’t fought above 200 pounds since 2017) and Blanco (whose entire career has been above 200 pounds).

Shields-Perkins will be held at a contractual catchweight, although the show’s promoters did not disclose what that weight limit will be.

Shields, 15-0 (3 KOs) is a two-time Olympic gold medalist who won world titles at 168lbs, moved down in weight to become the undisputed champion at 160 and 154, then returned to middleweight to regain a title she had vacated and become undisputed at 160 once again. She jumped from 160 to 175 for the Lepage-Joanisse bout.

Perkins, 5-0 (2 KOs) won an amateur world championship in 2019. She had her first three professional fights between August 2020 and March 2021, weighing in between 195 and 198lbs for each. Perkins then spent three years out of the ring before returning earlier this year much lighter than before. She came in at 178 for a victory over Timea Nagy in March and at 175.5 for a July victory over Christianne Fahey.

Shields-Perkins will headline at the Dort Financial Center in Shields’ hometown of Flint, Michigan. The card will be broadcast on DAZN.

BOXING

Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury 2 fight predictions, odds, undercard, preview, start time, expert picks

The rematch is set for Saturday night in Saudi Arabia and should deliver another instant classic

In May, Oleksandr Usyk completed his mission, defeating Tyson Fury by split decision to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the modern four-belt era. On Saturday in Saudi Arabia, Usyk will look for a repeat performance when he rematches Fury, this time with three world titles on the line.

Usyk was stripped of the IBF championship for moving ahead with his contractually obligated rematch with Fury, though the lack of one of the four world titles from the first meeting has done nothing to diminish the excitement or importance of this rematch.

The first meeting was the first time Fury had suffered defeat as a professional, having gone undefeated across 35 previous bouts that also saw him twice reign as world champion. Fury started that fight well, using his size and reach to keep the much smaller Usyk at range. Fury was so comfortable in the early rounds that he repeatedly danced and showboated, seemingly feeling he had the fight in hand.

Usyk was able to make the necessary adjustments as the fight wore on and not only started to successfully use his boxing skills, but also scored a knockdown in Round 9. A perfect left hook landed on Fury and the following flurry from Usyk sent Fury’s 6-foot-9 frame stumbling into the corner where it was ruled the ropes had held him up and thus counted as a knockdown.

That knockdown was the difference between a split decision win for Usyk and a split draw, with one judge scoring the fight 114-113 Fury and two turning in Usyk scores of 115-112 and 114-113. Without the knockdown making for a 10-8 Usyk ninth round, that third card would have been 114-114.

“I’ve got nothing to say apart from there’s going to be a whole lot of hurt and pain in this fight, you watch,” Fury said. “The talking’s been done. The first fight, I talked, I joked, all my career. This time I’m serious, I’m going to do some damage here on Saturday night. Watch me go to work.”

Usyk’s win ran his career record to 22-0. More impressive than his spotless record, Usyk has managed to go undisputed at two different weight classes.

Now we just have the performance. Talks, cameras, lights, kind of show. Everything is going to be taking place Saturday night on the 21st,” Usyk said at the final press conference. “Don’t be afraid. I will not leave you alone. See you on Saturday.”

Usyk ran through the cruiserweight division before winning the World Boxing Super Series in 2018 to unify all four world titles at 200 pounds. In October 2019, Usyk made the move to heavyweight with a win over Chazz Witherspoon. Two fights later, he’d defeated Anthony Joshua to capture the IBF, WBO and WBA heavyweight titles.

Now the two meet again with legacy on the line. Can Fury make the necessary adjustments to maintain his early momentum from the first fight or will Usyk again conquer the giant and prove his place atop the heavyweight division?

The undercard was set to feature a solid matchup between Serhii Bohachuk and Israil Madrimov at junior middleweight. Unfortunately, Madrimov was forced to withdraw from the bout after suffering from bronchitis during training camp. His next appearance is expected to be on the Feb. 22 card featuring Artur Beterbev vs. Dmitry Bivol 2 in the main event where he will face another top contender in Vergil Ortiz.

Instead Bohachuk will take on Ismael Davis. Elsewhere on the card, more heavyweights give support to the main event. Rising teenage phenom Moses Itauma is back in action when he takes on veteran Demsey McKean. The 19-year-old has thrilled in his early career, scoring eight knockouts in 10 professional fights. His last was most impressive when he stopped veteran Mariusz Wach in the second round in July. He gets a durable veteran in McKean, who is coming off the first defeat of his pro career when he was stopped by Filip Hrgovic in August.

Let’s take a closer look at the rest of the undercard before getting to a prediction and expert pick on the main event.

BOXING

Oleksandr Usyk vs Tyson Fury predictions: Mike Tyson, Anthony Joshua, Lennox Lewis and more give verdict with stunning KO on the cards

The monumental rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury is just one day away – and everyone has an opinion.

Usyk eked out Fury via split decision in May and they are now due to run it back on Saturday night in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Follow Fury vs Usyk 2 LIVE HERE

En route to getting his hand raised, the Ukrainian had Fury in real trouble in the ninth stanza when he scored a dramatic standing eight-count.

Fury miraculously survived to see out the round and showed immense powers of recovery to finish strong down the home straight.

However, it wasn’t enough for him to get the nod.

In the end, the scorecards read 115-112 to Usyk, 114-113 to Fury, and 114-113 to Usyk with the knockdown proving to be decisive.

Ahead of their rematch, Fury has promised not to leave the result in the hands of the judges and insists he will enter ‘destroy mode’ on the night.

“I’ve always been a bad man my whole life, and I’m still one today at nearly 40 years old, a few years off 40,” he said.

“I’m going to go in there with destroy mode. Last time, I went to box him, I was being cautious.

“Anybody can get caught as we have seen in a lot of these heavyweight fights. But this time I’m not going for a points decision. I’m going to knock that motherf***** out.”

Some believe Fury has what it takes to make the appropriate adjustments to topple Usyk while others think it will be repeat rather than revenge.

Here, takes a look at how several of the most prominent names in combat sports see the second bout going.

Lennox Lewis told Droeks on Boxing: “Well, I cannot go against Usyk. Oleksandr Usyk has proven himself time and time again, and he’s still undefeated.

“It really comes down to who boxes the best. Who’s smart in the ring. I didn’t think Tyson Fury was smart in the first fight.

“I think he played around a little bit too much and allowed Oleksandr Usyk to really pile up the points.

“Oleksandr Usyk is a difficult opponent. He moves all the time, he’s always throwing punches, he’s in great shape, and that’s hard to beat.”

“I want Fury to win, I think he’s capable of winning. I think he’s going to have to do something extraordinary, which we’ve seen him do before,”

BOXING

Mike Tyson drops three-word verdict on Mayweather claiming he’s better than Ali

Mike Tyson has had enough of Floyd Mayweather’s claim of being the best boxer in history—even better than Muhammad Ali—and has fired back with a sharp three-word verdict.

Floyd Mayweather has claimed several times that he is the greatest boxer in history, even better than Muhammad Ali. This statement made Mike Tyson furious, dropping a sharp three-word verdict on Mayweather’s thoughts.

Boxing has had several legends worldwide who have brought the sport to global prominence. Naturally, this has sparked debates among fans about who is the greatest of all time.

For many fans, no boxer has matched the talent and charisma of Muhammad Ali. However, Floyd Mayweather disagrees with this notion, asserting that he himself is the best pugilist in history. Floyd Mayweather vs. Mike Tyson: Who was a bigger PPV star?

Floyd Mayweather claims he’s better than Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson fires back

Boxing has seen many top-tier pugilists throughout history. The sport has evolved significantly, with boxers adopting various styles to dominate in their respective eras.

For many analysts, Muhammad Ali remains the pinnacle of boxing greatness. With 56 wins and only five losses, Ali overcame countless adversities to secure his place as one of the sport’s icons.

However, Floyd Mayweather strongly disagrees. ‘Money’ Mayweather, with his perfect 50-0 record and multiple world titles, believes his achievements place him above Muhammad Ali.

“No one can ever brainwash me to make me believe that Muhammad Ali was better than me,” Mayweather said to ESPN in 2015. “Leon Spinks beat him when he had seven fights. They’d never put a fighter in there with Floyd Mayweather with seven fights.”

These claims didn’t sit well with Mike Tyson. “He’s very delusional,” Tyson said in a 2015 UCN interview, firmly rejecting Mayweather’s assertion and emphasizing Ali’s unmatched legacy.

Will Floyd Mayweather fight again in 2025?

According to multiple reports, Floyd Mayweather is considering a return to the ring in 2025, with a potential rematch against Manny Pacquiao on the table.

Recently, Pacquiao responded to Mayweather’s challenge and expressed his willingness to fight. However, the Filipino legend insists that the exhibition match must include judges to ensure a decisive outcome.