Oleksandr Usyk remained undefeated when he was successfully defended his undisputed heavyweight belt by unanimous decision over Tyson Fury on Saturday night in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Judges Gerardo Martinez, Patrick Morley and Ignacio Robles had identical scores for Usyk, 116-112.
Usyk landed 179 of the 423 (42 percent) punches thrown, while Fury (34-2-1, 24 KOs) landed just 144 of the 509 punches he threw, a fraction of 28 percent.
When asked if he agreed with the judges' scores, Usyk said it was not his place to question, just a box. “I'll win, it's good,” said Usyk (23-0, 14 KOs). “Not my deal. i won Thank you, God.”
The highly anticipated rematch from the May bout in which Fury suffered his first loss lived up to the hype from the moment the boxers entered the ring.
Usyk's team asked the Middle East Professional Boxing Commission at a rules meeting on Friday to order Fury to cut his beard ahead of their heavyweight championship rematch.
He sported a beard as fierce as Santa Claus less than a week before Christmas, but the 36-year-old entered without a shave and added a bright red Christmas-themed outfit to Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas is You along with his visit to Christmas. ring
After Fury opened the fight with a relatively fast pace and dominated the first two rounds, Usyk responded in the third and fourth rounds by working the body while slipping in a few power power to the head.
Fury landed several big shots in the fifth round, but Usyk's left hand was the story in the sixth, stopping his bigger and taller opponent twice.
In the second half of the fight, it became apparent that the added weight was wearing Fury down, as the pace began to pick up on him as he enjoyed Usyk's calm and patient approach. Usyk's ability to get in, strike quickly and damage Fury with stinging combinations was the difference.
Feeling the pressure, a spirited Fury came out crawling in the 10th, bullying Usyk throughout the round. Usyk kept him off at times with steady jabs, while an uppercut from Fury scored late.
Usyk's speed came alive again in the 11th, landing a blistering combination to Fury's head to keep him away.
The two types traded punches in the final round, Fury hoping to make one last impression on the judges while Usyk looked for an exclamation point.
Turki Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority, announced on X (formerly Twitter) earlier this week that an experimental AI judge would also produce results. The innovative virtual system has won Usyk, 118-112.
Fury, now 5-1 in rematches, left the ring immediately after the result was announced, but later told reporters in the locker room area: “I thought I won it by at least three rounds. I took the fight head on.”
Speaking at the press conference, with a bruised right eye, he said: “I thought I won both fights, but then again I have two losses on my record – now, so there's not much I can do about it.
“I can only fight my heart out and do the best I can. But I will always believe until the day I die that I won that fight.”
There were only three belts on the line this time after the IBF stripped Usyk for not facing his mandatory challenger, Daniel Dubois.
Dubois interrupted Usyk's post-fight interview, snatched the microphone and asked to withdraw from their fight on August 26, 2023. Usyk won by knockout in the ninth round.
“I want my revenge, Usyk,” said Dubois. “You did well tonight, but I want my revenge.”
Usyk obliged by telling the powers that be: “Your Highness, make me fight Daniel. Thank you so much.”
