A great evening of professional boxing took place in Saudi Arabia. In the main event of the tournament, Tyson Fury and Alexander Usik faced each other in the ring, who determined the first absolute world heavyweight champion in the four-belt era. And it was Alexander Usik, who won this fight by split decision.
Of course, it was a historic fight, which attracted a lot of attention. The boxers also understood it, so they approached the confrontation in optimal conditions. Fury, who had a back-and-forth fight with Ngannou in the fall, recovered and noticeably lost weight, shedding excess weight. Tyson really looked fresh and light, which gave his fans hope for a successful conclusion to the fight.
How Usik became the heavyweight king:
There is an absolute heavyweight champion! Usyk defeated Fury in an impressive fight
The Brit was the bookmakers’ favorite, albeit slightly, and the experts also favored the Gypsy King. After all, this is his home division, in which he feels like a fish in water, and the size advantage should have worked in Tyson’s favor.
And if physically Fury prepared perfectly, then mentally, apparently, he has not yet recovered from the fight with Ngannou. Some kind of antics, a constant smile – it is clear that this is Tyson’s style, but still four championship belts were at stake. In the early rounds, Usik chased the Brit around the ring, landing a series of punches, to which the Brit responded with infrequent punches and body work.
It wasn’t until the third round that Fury remembered where he was and began to play to his strengths. Tyson stopped letting the Ukrainian get close and started working more from a distance, including his far hand. At the same time, the Gypsy King also recalled his signature clinch, during which he hung his full weight on Usik, dealt him a series of blows and used forbidden techniques, such as invisible blows to the back of the head.
It seemed like Fury had found his fight, his distance, and midway through the fight he was in control of its course. At the same time, Tyson was not aggressive; he lacked any kind of anger and sportsmanship. He constantly retired, working as a number two, which is not entirely typical of him. Fury was also very focused on Alexander’s body. Of course, everyone knew that this was the Ukrainian’s weak point, but Tyson leaned too much towards attacks specifically to the body.
However, the Briton, judging by the judges’ notes, was leading the fight until a turning point occurred in the eighth round. Fury, due to his way of fighting with his front hand low, missed a left blow: Usyk broke the Briton’s nose and tried to finish off Tyson. It was possible to do this only at the end of the next segment, where Fury found himself in a sharp fall. These two rounds ultimately played a key role in Alexander’s split decision victory.
Fighting Fury – Usyk
Photo: Richard Pelham/Getty Images
Fury entered the fight in optimal condition; no one had seen Tyson so fresh and light in a long time. But it seems that it was still necessary to put the emphasis not on weight loss, but on physical training. Competing with Usyk in speed and footwork is a utopia. Such a Fury would be much faster and more agile than any other heavyweight, but not Alexander. Still, in these components the Ukrainian simply has no equal in the real division.
The fury lacked aggressiveness. It was as if he were going to train and not fight for the title of absolute world champion. Tyson did not invest in strong blows. Yes, he doesn’t really have a knockout, but still, the tonnage of the power series has always brought problems for the Briton’s opponents. Remember how Fury charged in the trilogy with Wilder, but none of that happened in the fight with Usyk. The Briton worked as the number two, throwing characteristic, slightly clumsy jabs and punches from below and from the side, but it seems that he did not invest in them at all. If the plan for the fight was to kill Usik from a distance and take the fight by decision of the judges, then it failed.
The British’s problems with defense were once again revealed. The Brit relied on his reflexes, his speed, his bodywork, because this worked with his previous opponents. His lowered front hand was always a kind of weapon: he managed to move away from the opponent’s line of attack, dodged and “stung” the opponent with this same front hand. But Usik is a boxer of a different caliber, and two key episodes of the fight arose from the fact that Alexander, due to his excellent timing, hit Fury in his lower hand.
Tyson’s trademark clinch didn’t help, and his size didn’t help either. Fury couldn’t keep the Ukrainian at bay throughout the fight, and it was foolish to believe he could. Yes, at some moments the Briton kept his opponent at a safe distance, but then Usyk still broke through. But Fury couldn’t offer anything at close range.
Tyson had an uneven fight, in which in some episodes the British’s characteristic work was glimpsed. But he was not prepared for Usik’s constant pressure and in the second half of the fight he simply sank, lost concentration and was punished.
Perhaps the first loss of his career will have a positive effect on Fury. The rematch must take place: although Fury did not have the best fight, according to the judges’ notes the fight was very close. That night, Tyson was worse than his opponent and at certain times acted downright bad. Can he correct the situation in a rematch? It is the question whose answer everyone wants to know. Now the Briton has experienced what it is like to box not with big punchers, but with an intelligent, competent and agile opponent. Fury and his team have time and material to work on his mistakes. Let’s see how they carry it out.
