Oleksandr Usyk‘s journey to become Undisputed on May 18 wasn’t smooth sailing. At first, it was the contract negotiations. After about a year of prolonged talks with Tyson Fury, with fans even losing hope at one point in time, it took His Excellency Turki Alalshikh’s skills as an interlocutor to make the two heavyweight giants sign the dotted line. Ultimately, when the ‘The Cat’ stepped into the ring against ‘The Gypsy King‘ in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the former had to battle his way through adversity; a true test of his will and determination.
It was only in the ninth round of the fight that the tide of the contest shifted in Usyk’s favor. Before that, it was a pretty even fight. However, something happened in the sixth round that tested Usyk’s faith. Fury’s in-ring prowess took the wind out of the sails of the Ukrainian, even if it was for a brief moment. So, what was the punch that had the current Undisputed champion visibly hurt? How did he persist?
The Holy Spirit to Usyk’s rescue?
In an interview with 3 Knockdown Rule, the Cruiserweight-turned-Heavyweight boxer talked about the uppercut from Fury that rocked him in the sixth round. Safe to say, it was a shock to the system that awakened the devout Christian’s faith. “When I get the uppercut it was very pain. I feel for maybe ten seconds and say, ‘Hey God, thank you, help me.’ I say to myself, ‘Move. Move because if you stop he’ll kill you.” he said.
In round 6, Fury was in his groove and landed a big right uppercut on Usyk that made him backpedal into the corner. The punch even made him feel that he might have broken his jaw. When asked about the media speculation about his broken jaw right after the fight, he said, “jaw yeah yeah but uh I like feel, but I think what’s going on you know like it’s… I say hey listen maybe I have problem.”
However, Usyk’s apprehension was put to rest after the hard-fought battle with Fury. An immediate medical checkup cleared him of any significant injuries. He was able to attend the post-match conference, pouring cold water on Fury’s “he’s gone to hospital with a broken jaw and he’s busted too” remark. Later, Usyk’s promoter Alexander Krassyuk also dismissed reports about his broken jaw. “And they made the exams and it’s something like a one-week recovery. No broken jaw and thank God he is safe and sound,” he told Boxing King Media.
After weathering the storm in rounds six and seven, Oleksandr Usyk was in cruise control from round eight. A sequence of punches, coupled with a looping right hand in the closing seconds of the round made Fury’s right eye swell. Then, in the ninth round, a flurry of shots from Usyk pinged Fury rope-to-rope, ultimately securing a knockdown. Although Fury recovered in the tenth round, the damage was done. The fight dragged on till the final bell, and ultimately Usyk reigned supreme with a split decision victory. However, the saga has not ended. According to Fury, he still has unfinished business.
Fury activates the rematch clause
As was expected, the former WBC champion wants to run it back with Oleksandr Usyk and has activated the rematch clause in their contract. His Excellency Turki Alalshikh announced the date for the rematch last month. “The rematch between the Undisputed Champion Oleksandr Usyk and the Champion Tyson Fury is now scheduled on the 21 of December 2024 during Riyadh Season…The world will watch another historical fight again…Our commitment to boxing fans continues…We hope you enjoy it…” HE tweeted on X.
However, the sanctioning body might strip ‘The Cat’ of his title given that he might forgo a match with the IBF mandatory. Therefore, the rematch might be for the unified heavyweight titles instead of the undisputed one.
Are you excited about the Fury vs Usyk rematch? Do you think the rematch will produce the same result? Let us know in the comment section below.
