Tyson Fury believes he deserved to win against Oleksandr Usyk in their rematch, despite the judges ruling in Usyk’s favor, making him 2-0 in their series.
Tyson Fury reckons he did enough against Oleksandr Usyk to avenge his first loss, even if the judges didn’t agree.
In another grueling 12-round showdown, Usyk emerged victorious over Fury on Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The judges unanimously scored it 116-112 for Usyk, marking him 2-0 in their rivalry after a split decision win over Fury last May.
Speaking at a post-fight press conference, Fury expressed confidence that he beat Usyk in their rematch and should be leading the series 2-0.
“I was quite confident,” Fury said. “I thought I won that fight again. I think I’ve got ‘Larry Holmes’d’ here. I believed I won both fights, but now I have two losses on my record, so not much I can do. Just fight my heart out.”
“But again, I’ll always believe until the day I die I’ve won that fight.”
From Fury’s viewpoint, he was the aggressor throughout the 36-minute contest. He tried to control range with his jab and land uppercuts inside. Yet, Usyk often slipped past Fury’s defenses to deliver hard shots to the head. On-screen stats favored Usyk in power punches landed.
Fury admitted some rounds may have seemed close to the judges and saw no point in dwelling on the scores.
“I was on the front foot all night, landing body and head,” Fury noted. “Listen, sometimes it’s hard to score.”
“Frank [Warren] had me three or four rounds up; many had me at least two. I just don’t know. It is what it is. Can’t cry over spilled milk, it’s done now. Boxing’s my life; you can’t change decisions. Always feel a bit hard done by—actually a lot—but without a knockout, this happens. No guaranteed win.”
When a Ukrainian reporter asked if Fury sensed Usyk’s fighting spirit in the ring, “The Gypsy King” responded with amusement.
“I didn’t feel no spirit,” Fury quipped. “Felt a bit of Christmas spirit and think he got a little Christmas gift from them judges.”
Fury was non-committal about future plans, though a clash with British heavyweight Anthony Joshua seems likely. For now? Resting until 2025 before deciding anything.
“What’s next? Going home for some time off. Might do something, might not. Who knows? We’ll talk next year.”