Oleksandr Usyk is a legendary champion: one of those heavyweights who emerge only once every thirty or forty years, leaving an indelible mark on the history of the division. Last night, at Riyadh’s Kingdom Arena, the Ukrainian maestro delivered yet another boxing masterpiece. Over twelve high-level rounds, he decisively defeated a determined Tyson Fury, affirming his superiority beyond any doubt. The three judges unanimously scored the bout 116 to 112, allowing Usyk to retain the WBC, WBA, and WBO world titles.
Both fighters had been shaken during their May 18 encounter, and their awareness of the other’s ability to inflict damage was evident from the first round of the rematch. It began as a classic feeling-out round, with the only notable moment being a body uppercut from Fury that briefly unbalanced Usyk early on.
As the fight progressed, it came alive, with Usyk weaving his web of feints, quick punches, and constant movement of his feet and torso. Meanwhile, a less mobile Fury compared to their first bout fought in bursts, attempting to land heavy, impactful blows.
The rounds unfolded without a clear dominator, as both fighters had implemented subtle tactical adjustments to neutralize the strengths that had troubled them in the previous fight. Fury kept his right glove high to protect his face from Usyk’s left hooks, while the Ukrainian masterfully evaded Fury’s uppercuts with fluid, circular head movements.
After five rounds, Usyk realized he needed to break the deadlock and take the initiative decisively. Leaving the fight in a balanced state until the end would have been incredibly risky; there were too many interests tied to a potential Fury victory. A win for Fury would have opened the door to a lucrative third bout or perhaps even a blockbuster derby against Anthony Joshua, with the world titles on the line.
Usyk, in his own style, pressed the accelerator starting from the sixth round, increasingly asserting his dominance. Fury’s extraordinary ability to read his opponents—usually allowing him to anticipate their intentions in a split second—crumbled against Usyk’s creativity and unpredictability.
With Usyk, you never know what to expect. Between one exchange and the next, he constantly changes the speed of his punches, their trajectory, and the angles from which they’re thrown. Even the sequence of power punches and quick jabs is ever-changing: sometimes he opens with a hammer blow, sometimes it’s preceded by a probing shot, or even two. When all of this is executed at a frenetic pace, the opponent standing before him is regularly overwhelmed.
This also happened to Fury, who fell behind on the scorecards as the fight began slipping out of his grasp. The Gypsy King refused to give up, attempting to regain control by every means at his disposal. In the ninth round, for instance, he obsessively targeted Usyk’s body, hoping to exploit a perceived vulnerability in the Ukrainian’s midsection. In the tenth, he tried to use his gargantuan size, leaning on the champion and attempting to crush him under his weight.
However, Fury’s valiant efforts yielded only temporary and partial results. Even under pressure, Usyk maintained his composure, executing cleaner work and leveraging his superior stamina to attack Fury whenever the latter stepped back to conserve energy.
Entering the so-called championship rounds, the 38-year-old champion still bounced on his toes like a young man, overwhelming the Gypsy King with a relentless stream of combinations. Usyk also demonstrated his famously granite chin when, in the closing seconds of an otherwise dominant 11th round, he absorbed a thunderous right hand without flinching.
In the final three minutes, Tyson Fury mustered all his pride, determination, and remaining energy in a desperate last assault. Admirable for its grit and willpower, his offensive efforts ultimately failed to produce significant results. The fight concluded without any final drama, leaving the outcome in the hands of the judges.
From this writer’s perspective, there was no doubt about the fairness of the judges’ decision. While the first five rounds remained up for interpretation and could be scored in various ways, from the sixth round onward, Usyk firmly took control of the fight and never relinquished it until the final bell.
Following this triumph, much will be said about Oleksandr Usyk’s physical and mental attributes, praising his remarkable aerobic endurance, unparalleled determination, and lion-hearted courage. All true, of course, but it’s crucial to emphasize that these qualities are complemented by a technical repertoire rarely seen in the history of the heavyweight division.
Facing an opponent significantly taller, with extraordinarily long arms, rapid execution, and a diverse arsenal of punches, Usyk became a living manual on how to close distance, defend actively, and counter in countless ways.
Over 24 rounds, Usyk has unequivocally proven himself the best heavyweight in the world. Last night, he also dismantled the distorted narrative that had lingered since their first encounter: the notion of a dominant Fury, defeated only by a lucky punch. In truth, both in May and last night, the Gypsy King lost simply because he faced a superior opponent. A monumental champion who would have been competitive at the highest level in any era of boxing history.