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.
