The Usyk-Fury fight began in the Arabian capital after the presentation of the fight by iconic compere Michael Buffer at 01:40. Before the fight, the Ukrainian and the Briton controlled all the important belts – WBA, WBO, IBF, IBO and WBC, so the title of the absolute world heavyweight champion was at stake. The fight lasted all 12 rounds.
In the early rounds, Fury acted from a position of strength. He was mainly in the center of the ice and tried to control all of Usyk’s attempts to increase the pace. True, the Ukrainian boxer hit the Briton quite well several times, so he had to change his tactics.
In the fifth to eighth rounds, the “Gypsy King” seized the initiative. Fury tried to catch Usik making a mistake and managed to find one in the 6th round, shaking his opponent with a counter blow. The Ukrainian endured a difficult period.
The main event happened in the 9th round. Usyk increased the speed of his actions and forced Fury to open up. The Ukrainian boxer gave out a whole bunch of blows – the Briton dropped his hands and actually did not defend himself. The “Gypsy King” found himself on the ropes, but the referee delayed the decision to count 10 seconds, and when they ended, the gong rang.
Both boxers spent the “championship” rounds carefully. Fury recovered surprisingly quickly from the knockdown. Each of the champions tried to collect points in the judges’ notes, so they simply tried to hit at least the body.
The judges’ opinions about the winner of the confrontation were divided. Usik was preferred by two out of three – 115:112, 114:113. Meanwhile, one of the judges recorded a minimal victory for Fury – 114:113. This result made a rematch inevitable.
How Usyk defeated Fury
Round 12. The champions were unable to finish the battle ahead of schedule. Now the fate of the confrontation is in the hands of the judges. The trio’s notes will soon be tallied.
Round 11. The pace of the fight slowed down. Both boxers got hooked. Usik and Fury hit several times, but without emphasis. Neither the Briton nor the Ukrainian dared to take risks, and they did not receive a gift from their rival.
Round 10. Usyk continued to hit the Briton. However, Fury managed to recover during the short break between rounds and withstood the onslaught of the Ukrainian boxer. But on points he is already seriously inferior.
Round 9. Tough round for both boxers. However, at the end of the three-minute period, the Ukrainian shook Fury’s self-confidence. The British boxer missed many punches and even lost his orientation, but the ropes and the gong saved him.
Round 8. Fury started again more actively, subjecting his opponent to a barrage of attacks. The Ukrainian boxer went on a counterattack from the middle of the round and tried to increase the pace of the fight. The Briton managed to extinguish Usik’s ardor by going on the defensive.
Round 7. The “Gypsy King” continued to take the initiative. With one of the attacks, the Briton checked Usik’s jaw. The Ukrainian seemed to stagger, but then responded well with a left to Fury’s chin. This time the gong was timely for the British boxer.
Round 6. The cut is in favor of the Englishman. Fury first landed a counter punch and then landed another good combination. Usik had a hard time, but he managed to hold out until the gong.
Round 5. Fury is trying to catch the Ukrainian making a mistake. The British boxer does not refuse dirty methods either. Usik drew the referee’s attention to the “Gypsy King’s” attempt to hit him below the belt.
Round 4. The Briton finally leveled the situation. The fight turned into a positional confrontation, where from time to time both of them succeeded in successful combinations. In particular, Usyk once threw a good left punch, but slightly missed the head.
Round 3. The “Gypsy King” stopped joking in the ring and started boxing for real. The initiative remained with Usik, but now Fury began to clinch every time after the opponent’s successful deuces. I started hitting well myself.
Round 2. Usyk captured the center of the ring and started with a targeted deuce. Fury responded at the end of the three-minute period. He finally left the corner and tested the strength of the Ukrainian boxer’s defense with his left hand.
Round 1. The Ukrainian began to become more active, moving around the ring a lot. Usyk hit the British boxer’s body without any problems. However, the “Gypsy King” was looking for a moment for his attack, and from time to time he even managed to work for the public.
What does Usik’s victory over Fury mean?
The Ukrainian became the first absolute world heavyweight champion in 24 years. He finally established himself next to the Klitschko brothers in the boxing pantheon of Ukraine. In 2011, Vladimir Klitschko closed all the championship belts on his family, defeating WBA champion David Haye by decision of the judges. The younger of the brothers already controlled the WBO, IBF and IBO titles, and the WBC belt fluttered on the shoulders of the eldest.
How much did Usyk and Fury earn for their fight on May 18?
The fees were not officially disclosed. The “Gypsy King” allegedly earned $69 million for entering the ring. At the same time, Usik enriched himself by half that amount – 34 million greenbacks. The British press predicted a 70/30 distribution of prize money in Fury’s favor.
The British boxer’s promoter Frank Warren hinted that his client’s fee could even reach $100 million. The Ukrainian champion agreed to a smaller prize money, in particular, making Fury promise to donate £1 million to one of the Ukrainian charities.
When will the rematch between Usik and Fury take place?
The fight is scheduled to take place in October this year. Its winner will no longer bear the title of absolute champion. The International Boxing Federation (IBF) decided that Usik had overstayed his mandatory defense of the championship belt, so the Ukrainian will lose this title in the summer.
Who will Usik fight next?
Since August 2023, Filip Hrgovic has become the mandatory contender for the fight against the Ukrainian. The Croatian will meet with Briton Daniel Dubois on June 1. The winner of the fight will be recognized as the IBF world super heavyweight champion.
Hrgovic or Dubois will compete for a fight with Usyk. In addition, two more heavyweights are next in line – Manuel Charr and Joseph Parker. The first holds the title of regular champion according to the World Boxing Association (WBA), the second is the interim champion of the World Boxing Organization (WBO).
