Oleksandr Usyk wins unanimously against Tyson Fury in heavyweight rematch

Oleksandr Usyk (23-0, 14 KOs) and Tyson Fury (34-2-1, 24 KOs) put together a fight of the year candidate this past May when Usyk became the undisputed heavyweight champion. Saturday the two met in a heavyweight brawl a few days before Christmas. 

The one glaring elephant in the room was the significant weight difference between the two men Fury tipped the scale at 281 pounds opposed to Usyk 229. The rounds were difficult to score as Fury found plenty of success, particularly switching his stance from southpaw to orthodox. However, Usyk landed the more glaring shots and was able to rally in moments against his heavier foe winning the scorecards 116-112 on all the judges' cards.

"I very respect this guy because I think he's very tough," Usyk, 37, told ESPN. "... Tyson Fury makes me strong. Tyson is a great opponent. Big man. He's a good man. Tyson, a lot of talk, but it's just show."

The overhand left was Usyk's best weapon, and he used it to set up jabs to the body. Usyk is a technician in the ring who was a former cruiserweight champion. Since coming to heavyweight, Usyk has wrecked shop beating Anthony Joshua, Daniel Dubois and Tyson Fury, the sport's three top heavyweights. He’s 4-0 against Joshua and Fury. What’s next for Usyk seems to be a rematch against Daniel Dubois who holds the IBF heavyweight championship.

Dubois (22-2, 21 KO) was stunned by Usyk in 2023 by ninth round knockout, but it is the most controversial victory of Usyk’s career to date, considering that Dubois felt a low blow that Dubois. Thus, it was a clean body shot and should have been declared a stoppage win in his favor.