Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury squared off in a rematch in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday, December 21. The contest featured the defending unified WBA, WBC, and WBO heavyweight champion of Ukraine up against the former WBC titleholder of the UK.
The pair first met in May at the same venue, battling it out for the undisputed title. Usyk scored a standing knockdown on Fury in the ninth round and took the victory by split decision. The scheduled 12-round world championship rematch also went the full distance.
Usyk claimed the win, defeating Fury by unanimous decision. All three judges scored the fight 116-112.
Two-division undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk improved to 23-0, 14 KOs and retained his unified belts. In his post-fight interview, the 37-year-old southpaw of Simferopol, Crimea, Ukraine dedicated his victory to his mother, and all mothers of Ukraine.
Tyson Fury dropped to 34-2-1, 24 KOs. The 36-year-old native of Manchester, England suffered his second straight defeat and failed his attempt to take revenge and once again become champion.
In his next fight, Oleksandr Usyk is expected to face London’s current IBF champion Daniel Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs). The Ukrainian champion won their first fight in August 2023 by knockout in the ninth round.