Usyk defeated Fury again, with 190 million dollars in purse and a forcefulness that dissuades another rematch

It was clear proof that not all second parts fail; the faithful testimony that, in boxing today, intelligence complements strength and that business does not always rule. With the smoking ashes of the great duel they staged on May 18, the Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk He again beat the British on points, in a unanimous decision. Tyson Fury and He retained his status as world heavyweight champion unified of the World Boxing Associationhe World Boxing Council and the World Boxing Organizationin Saudi Arabia. The three cards, 116 to 112, They ended up burying the wishes of a possible fight between the two in 2025.

What was produced in the ring mounted on the imposing Kingdom Arena was in keeping with the glamor and opulence of the 190 million dollars of stock offered by the Saudi sheikh Turki Alalshikh. Although it was not a fight full of technical virtuosity, the dynamics and constant exchange of blows between Usyk and Fury made entertainment and sports celebrities, including Paris Hilton, Jason Statham and Cristiano Ronaldo, stand up from their seats in the ring side to express their feelings throughout the 12 rounds.

Beyond the 127 kilos of the Gypsy Fury, it was Usyk who set the pace of the actions in the first rounds, in which he let this duel be nothing like the one they had seven months ago on the same stage in Riyadh. Based on his good physical preparation and the power of his blows, the Ukrainian took the Briton towards an ideal fighting terrain for his boxing style. Thus, at the beginning of the third round, with a Powerful left cross produced the first imbalance of the match, which encouraged the more than 30,000 attendees.

Fury’s reaction was immediate and from the fourth round the Englishman managed to get Usyk into the trap of his tricks and exposed himself to receiving strong overhand blows to his face and several blows to the body. However, regardless of how permissive the referee was Roberto Ramirez Despite some of the British’s illegal actions, the Ukrainian appealed to his mobility and intelligence to filter accurate hands and mark a gap, connecting several impacts to the face.

Oleksandr Usyk’s presentation before the fight

The wounds of the battle reaped in the previous rounds mattered little to the Gypsy Kingwho, despite the physical and mental decline, appealed to his heart and his stoicism to put uncertainty in the last round. But nothing was enough to change the course of the result. When the ruling was given, the judges’ cards Ignacio Robles, Patrick Morley and Gerardo Martínez They confirmed what was stated in the ring.

With this victory, Usyk stretched his record and his unbeaten to 23 wins, 14 by KOand retained the WBC, WBA and WBO world heavyweight crowns. While Fury, at 36 yearssuffered the second defeat of his career, which has 34 successes, 24 knockouts and 1 draw. The Englishman failed to become the sixth boxer in history, along with Evander Holyfield, Muhammad Ali, Lennox Lewis, Michael Moorer and Vitali Klitschko, to have more than three reigns as world champion. Something that in no way overshadows its prestige, but that calls into question its validity at the first international level.

To the 37 years, Usyk confirmed himself as one of the best pound-for-pound boxers of the moment and ended the wishes of Alalshikh and industry honchos to complete the trilogy next year. “I won and it’s okay. I’m a boxer and not a judge, so I don’t worry about that. Beyond the fight, I am happy because my children won a judo competition,” said the monarch who, even in times of decline, is willing to continue generating million-dollar profits against anyone.