Usyk beats Fury in heavyweight championship rematch

Oleksandr Usyk won his heavyweight championship rematch against Tyson Fury by unanimous decision overnight on Saturday night to stay unbeaten across two divisions and cement his place among the greats.

The Ukrainian, who forced the pace and repeatedly tagged Fury with his accurate left hook, was awarded the fight 116-112 by all three judges, handing Fury his second straight loss.

Usyk’s win takes him to 23-0 with 14 knockouts and extends one of the all-time best careers that 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 over 35 fights until he lost their four-belt unification bout in May.

“Unbelievable 24 rounds for my career,” he added.

Only the WBA, WBO, and WBC belts were on the line this time after Usyk, focused on the lucrative rematch, relinquished his IBF title rather than face challenger Daniel Dubois.

By beating Fury in May, “The Cat” had already joined the likes of Muhammad Ali, Joe Louis and Mike Tyson as undisputed heavyweight, and the first of the four-belt era.

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Usyk said: “He’s my best friend.

“I respect this guy because I think he’s a really tough opponent. Tyson Fury makes me strong.”

But the defeat opens up an uncertain future for the 36-year-old Fury, now 34-2-1, who announced his retirement in 2022 only to return to the ring.

“I thought I’ve won both fights, but then again I’ve got two losses on my record now, so there’s not much I can do about it,” said the Briton, who refused to discuss his next steps.

Promoter Frank Warren also called the judges’ decision “nuts”. But Usyk dismissed his complaints.

“Uncle Frank, I think is blind… crazy man,” joked the Ukrainian.

Reports put the prize purse at an increased $190 million with Usyk, as defending champion, expected to receive the bigger share – a reversal of fortunes from May.

The Star