As fate would have it with several scheduled bouts that were to take place over the Christmas holidays and were intended to be covered in a package form in this column by this observer being postponed, it would turn out that the last major event on the Boxing calendar in 2024 was the second encounter between undefeated unified WBO/IBO/WBA/WBC Heavyweight world champion Oleksandr Usyk and former two-time Heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury. A highly anticipated rematch that took place on December 21st in the same location as their first meeting for the then Undisputed Heavyweight championship of the world on May 18, 2024, the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
By now, most Boxing fans are familiar with the close competition of that first fight and also familiar with the showboating approach through several of the early rounds by Fury, which in addition to a controversial knockdown ruled against him in the month round, in which some believed the fight should have been stopped, cost him the victory in what was otherwise a close and competitive fight. Unlike some circumstances where a rematch is warranted due to an exciting battle and/or a fight where the outcome is deemed controversial, we knew going into that historic first bout that there would be a rematch due to a pre-ordained rematch clause in the contract.
Although that knowledge took nothing away from the atmosphere of that historic event in determining albeit temporarily, the first Undisputed Heavyweight champion of the world in twenty-five years and the first in an era where there are five recognized world sanctioning organizations, who's respective claims to the World Heavyweight championship were at stake, much like when a great movie spawns a sequel and eventually evolved into a series of films, when it comes to rematches, seldomly does a new chapter in a rivalry between two fighters equal the anticipation and competitive nature of the original encounter.
In this case, as yours truly pointed out in previewing Usyk-Fury 2, the question was whether Fury, now back in the role of a challenger, would approach this fight with a more serious mindset as compared to the first fight and if he did, whether that would make a difference in terms of scoring, particularly in the early rounds, which due to his decision to showboat in the first fight, ended up going against him in the end.
To Fury’s credit, he did take this fight more seriously and did come forward more in the early rounds compared to what his approach was in the first fight. As he would find out, however, even a more serious approach sometimes does not result in a change in outcome as, despite having periodic success throughout the twelve round world championship bout, Fury as many previous opponents have learned, Oleksandr Usyk’s skillset proves to be a very difficult puzzle to solve.
Unlike the first fight where there were moments throughout where the fighters were able to hurt each other and thus be highlighted, this fight was a tactical Boxing match from start to finish, which is Usyk's specialty. While Fury’s best moments throughout came when he was able to land solidly, particularly with his right hand, Oleksandr Usyk is a master boxer who fights out of the southpaw stance, with an emphasis on his ability to use lateral movement and foot work to come at his opponents at varying angles as well as his ability to change his level of attack from the head to the body. Fury's best moments often came in single punches. The difference between the two fighters was Usyk’s punches consistently came in three and four punch variations.
It was this consistency as well as Fury’s inability to limit Usyk's ability to move and use angles that ultimately resulted in this observer scoring the fight unofficially eight rounds to four or 116-112 in points for Usyk in what was a straightforward contest that was clean and void of controversy. Although this is not always what happens, despite this observer’s decades long experience covering the sport and thoroughly understanding how fights are scored on every possible level Boxing has to offer from amateur, to professional, to professional Bareknuckle, to the point where I have been told periodically by others in the sport that I should consider being an official judge, the way I saw this fight was mirrored by the three official judges who scored this fight the same way I did with an 8-4 margin in rounds 116-112 in points for Usyk making it a successful title defense for him and earning him his second victory over Fury.
As straightforward as this fight appeared to be in determining a winner, it was understandable that Fury was disappointed with the result and immediately left the ring refusing to do interviews. When one dedicates themselves as seriously as Fury did in attempting to become part of a select group of fighters to have won a version of the World Heavyweight championship on three separate occasions, when one does everything they can do to prepare and still comes up short, despite performing better as Fury did in this second fight with Usyk, it is hard to digest.
Fury, however, has nothing to be ashamed of, he gave it everything he had. It may be a case where Fury will beat many of the top fighters in the Heavyweight division, but Oleksandr Usyk may not be one of them. That last sentence might leave one wondering what this observer means. Yes, Oleksandr Usyk has defeated Tyson Fury in two consecutive fights in the span of seven months, the second of which unlike the split decision in the first fight, seemed more convincing. This, however, should not be viewed as a clear conclusion to this rivalry. Tyson Fury is after all one of the biggest names in the Heavyweight division and if he were to continue fighting and score a victory over a top contender, he will be right back in the discussion of potential challengers for Usyk or possibly current IBF world champion Daniel Dubois.
Dubois, who was named IBF world champion shortly after the first Usyk-Fury fight due to Usyk not being able to fulfill his obligation to defend the IBF title against Dubois, whom was a mandatory challenger and whom Usyk defeated in August 2023, is due to make his second defense of the IBF crown against former WBO Heavyweight world champion Joseph Parker on February 22 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Depending on the outcome of that fight, the winner could either face Usyk if Usyk wants to attempt to fully unify the Heavyweight division for a second time, or could see a potential challenger in Fury, who is still a top contender and one of the more lucrative options available for either fellow contenders or world champions.
While a third chapter of the story between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury may not come as quickly as chapter two followed their first meeting, it may not be a story that is concluded. One thing is certain as 2025 has begun, the goings on in the Heavyweight division with two current world champions and no shortage of contenders and forner champions all looking for a shot, will continue to be a hot topic in the sport of Boxing.
“And That's The Boxing Truth."
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