Ukrainian president Zelensky hails Usyk’s win over Fury in heavyweight title rematch

Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine. (Photo: Simon Wohlfahrt / Bloomberg via Getty Images)

22 Dec 2024

Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk retained his WBA (Super), WBO and WBC world heavyweight titles by unanimous decision against Britain’s Tyson Fury after an enthralling clash at the Kingdom Arena on Saturday, 21 December 2024.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed Oleksandr Usyk’s victory over Tyson Fury to retain the WBA (Super), WBO and WBC world heavyweight titles in Riyadh, saying the boxer embodied the fighting spirit of Ukrainians.

Undefeated Usyk, who took Fury’s WBC belt in their first bout in May, beat the British two-time world champion in the rematch by unanimous decision, handing him the second loss of his professional career.

“Victory! So important and so needed by all of us right now,” Zelensky, who has led Ukraine in its war with Russia since Moscow invaded it in 2022, wrote on X.

“By defending his championship belt, Oleksandr Usyk proves: we are Ukrainians and we will not give up what is ours! No matter how hard it gets — we will overcome everything.

“Whether it is in the ring, on the battlefield or in the diplomatic arena — we will fight and we will not give up what is ours! Congratulations on your victory, Cossack! Congratulations on your victory, Ukraine!”

Former world champion Wladimir Klitschko, who enlisted in the Ukrainian military reserves before Russia’s invasion, was at the Kingdom Arena to witness Usyk’s victory.

“Ukraine is fortunate to have you. You’re a true standard bearer of our resilience... glory to Ukraine,” Klitschko wrote on X.

Tight fight

Giving up advantages in height, weight and reach to his much bigger opponent, Usyk fought superbly throughout to win 116-112 on all three judges’ scorecards as he again defeated Fury after his success in May made him the undisputed champion.

Fury, 36, was much-improved from that first encounter where he wilted in the ninth round, but could still not solve the puzzle posed by the 37-year-old Usyk, whose superb movement saw him force the Briton on to the back foot for much of the bout.

Tipping the scales at a career-high 127kg, almost 25kg heavier than Usyk, Fury started at a high tempo and tried to control the centre of the ring using his jab, but the Ukrainian matched him and tried to back his opponent up by ducking inside and unleashing combinations. By the fourth round Usyk started to find the range for his left hand, but Fury adjusted and went hard to the body in the fifth as the fight ebbed and flowed.

Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine. (Photo: Simon Wohlfahrt / Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Fury appeared to be stung late in the sixth with a right hand to the body followed by a sharp left that struck him on the forehead, and by the seventh he slowed, moving to southpaw late in the round as he struggled with fatigue.

Fury’s reliance on hard shots in ones and twos to the body did little to stop Usyk from marching forward, usually finishing his flurries with his fearsome left hand.

A good start to the 10th by Fury did not last and Usyk was soon back controlling the angles, finishing the frame at a furious pace and coasting through the final two rounds to take a convincing victory.

Asked in his post-fight interview in the ring if he thought the scorecards were correct, Usyk shrugged.

“I win, it’s good... I’m not the judges, I’m a sportsman, I’m an athlete,” he said, before praising his sons whom he said had been involved in judo competitions earlier on Saturday.

Usyk was called out in the ring by Britain’s Daniel Dubois, whom he beat with a ninth-round stoppage in controversial circumstances in August 2023 after a fifth-round knockdown of Usyk was ruled to have been a low blow.

Disappointed by the second loss of his professional career, the usually talkative Fury left the ring without doing an interview, leaving his promoter Frank Warren to speak on his behalf and express disbelief at the scoring.

“How can Tyson only get four rounds in this fight? It’s impossible,” Warren said, adding he thought Fury had won. “He’s very disappointed, as I am as well. But, I mean, I’m not saying there’s any bias (on my part). Everybody along the front there, we all thought the same way.”

‘Mistake’

Fury said the judges made a mistake in awarding a unanimous decision win to Usyk.

Fury fell to the second defeat of his professional career, both of which have come against Usyk, as he missed the chance to win the belts despite a much better performance in a rematch of their May bout, which he lost by split decision.

“I was quite confident. I thought I won that fight again... I thought I’ve won both fights. But then again, I’ve gone home with two losses on my record now, so there’s not much I can do about it,” Fury told a press conference.

“I can just fight my heart out and do the best I can, but again, I’ll always believe until the day I die, I won that fight.”

Fury said he had been on the front foot all night, but in truth Usyk, who gave up big advantages in terms of height, weight and reach, was the more dominant fighter for the majority of the contest as he scored another decision win.

“It is what it is. I’m not going to cry over spilt milk, it’s happened now. I know boxing, I’ve been in it all my life. You can’t change no decisions, but I’ll just always feel a little bit hard done by. Not a little bit actually — a lot,” Fury said.

The 36-year-old waved away talk of what is next for him after his second consecutive defeat.

“I’m going to go home and have a good Christmas. I’ve been away 12 weeks, I put a lot of work in for this fight, I’m going to go home now and enjoy it,” he said. Reuters/DM

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Tight fight

‘Mistake’