Oleksandr Usyk staked his claim as this generation’s best heavyweight with a repeat win over rival Tyson Fury in their highly anticipated rematch on Sunday held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Usyk, who came into the rematch some 50 pounds lighter than Fury, prevailed via unanimous decision on identical 116-112 scores to leave do doubt this time around. The much smaller Ukrainian used superior speed, footwork, and savvy to outsmart and outland The Gypsy King, notably in the second half of the fight.
The fight was fast-paced and entertaining, although it did not feature the same thrilling and on-the-edge-of-your-seat exchanges that marked the first fight. But the two men went at it nonetheless, with Usyk darting in and out of Fury’s reach and landing just enough to win—notably rounds 6, 7, 8, 10, and 11, which all three judges unanimously gave to the champion.
CompuBox stats show Usyk landing 179 punches out of the 423 he threw, while Fury landed 144 out of 509.
Usyk Stakes Claim as Best Heavyweight of This Generation
While Usyk probably is far off from all-time heavyweight great status, he did make a strong case that he is the best heavyweight of this generation—mainly because the man he beat twice now had been widely regarded as the top name of boxing’s glamor division.
With his repeat win over Fury, Usyk now has two wins over the erstwhile former unified champion, two victories against former heavyweight champion and Olympic gold medalist Anthony Joshua, and wins against Daniel Dubois and Derek Chisora.
Of course, it is worth noting that Usyk has only fought at heavyweight seven times as he had previously campaigned mostly at cruiserweight—even though he became Olympic champion in 2012 at heavyweight. Then again, as the saying goes, “To be the man, you gotta beat the man.” And Usyk not only beat the man in Fury, he also did it twice, accounting for the Englishman’s only two losses.
By that metric alone, then maybe Usyk really is the best heavyweight of this generation. A few more title defenses and he will leave no doubt about it.
