For the second straight time, Oleksandr Usyk of Simferopol, Ukraine has beaten Tyson Fury of Manchester, England for the heavyweight title. On Saturday, Usyk defeated Fury by a unanimous decision at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to retain the World Boxing Association Superheavyweight title, the World Boxing Council heavyweight title, the World Boxing Organization heavyweight title, the International Boxing Organization heavyweight title, and The Ring Magazine heavyweight title.
When Usyk beat Fury on May 18 in Riyadh, he won via a split decision. He also became the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Canadian Olympic gold medalist Lennox Lewis beat Evander Holyfield in 1999.
Saturday’s win
Usyk beat Fury 116-112 on all three judges scorecards. According to Thomas Schlachter of CNN, it was Usyk who exemplified the most stamina, and according to the Associated Press, it was Usyk that landed the most punches. Usyk connected 179 punches, compared to 144 for Fury. The 36-year-old Englishman was actually surprised with the judges’s decisions as he thought he won the fight.
No longer the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion
Usyk lost the International Boxing Federation title on June 25 that he initially received on May 18 when he beat Fury the first time. That is because he announced his intention to fight Fury again this past Saturday, rather than Daniel Dubois of London, England. Dubois was the mandatory IBF challenger that Usyk was required to box next. Now that Usyk has beaten Fury twice, there is a possibility that Dubois could be Usyk’s next opponent.
When is Dubois fighting next?
Before Usyk would fight Dubois, Dubois is scheduled to fight next on February 22. His opponent will be Joseph Parker of New Zealand in a match once again to take place in Riyadh. Parker has had the World Boxing Organization World Heavyweight interim title since March of 2024, when he beat Zhilei Zhang of China. The decision was controversial because Parker lost despite being knocked down twice.
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