Fury Attributes Rematch Loss to Usyk to ‘Christmas Gift’ from Judges

Tyson Fury, who has now experienced two professional career defeats, both at the hands of Oleksandr Usyk, contested the outcome of his rematch against the unified heavyweight champion. He asserted that the judges had presented his opponent with a “Christmas gift.” The contest was scored 116-112 in Usyk’s favor by all three judges, marking the Ukrainian’s second consecutive victory against Fury. Both Fury and his promoter, Frank Warren, expressed conviction that the Briton had performed sufficiently to secure a win in the Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, bout. “The judges gave him a Christmas gift,” Fury stated. “I feel like I won both fights. I know I had to knock him out but it’s boxing and this happens. There is no doubt in my mind I won this fight.” He added, “Frank [Warren] had me three or four rounds up and a lot of people had me up by at least two.” The 36-year-old Fury opted not to respond to questions in the ring following the match, instead proceeding backstage where he later addressed the media. “I’m not going to cry over spilled milk, it’s over now,” Fury commented further. “I’ve been in boxing my whole life but I’ll always feel a little bit hard done by – not a little bit, a lot.” Warren, representing Queensberry, openly conveyed his dissatisfaction with the outcome while still in the ring and subsequently persisted in advocating for a Fury victory. “I’m dumbfounded at how they [judges] scored it,” Warren remarked. “His jabbing was superb, his footwork was superb, he wasn’t slow. He was very evasive.” Usyk’s triumph extends his undefeated professional record to 23 wins, reinforcing his standing as one of the preeminent fighters of his era. “Uncle Frank, I think he is blind,” Usyk stated. “If Tyson says it is a Christmas gift then OK, thank you God, not Tyson. Thank you to my team.” Usyk’s points victory over Fury cemented his legacy. The contest was scored 116-112 in favor of Usyk by all three judges. The three judges present at ringside were Patrick Morley from the USA, Ignacio Robles from Panama, and Gerardo Martinez from Puerto Rico. While arriving at the identical final conclusion, the judges’ individual scoring for each round varied. Unanimity among the judges was observed for rounds four, five, six, seven, eight, 10, and 11, with differing opinions recorded for the remaining rounds. Each round was scored 10-9 for the winning fighter, as there were no knockdowns to account for and no judge opted for a 10-10 score. Round one – split Robles – Usyk Morley – Fury Martinez – Fury Round two – split Robles – Fury Morley – Usyk Martinez – Usyk Round three – split Round four – unanimous Round five – unanimous Round six – unanimous Usyk, reflecting on his win, expressed respect for Fury but characterized Warren as ‘blind’. Round seven – unanimous Round eight – unanimous Round nine – split Morley – Usyk Round ten – unanimous Round 11 – unanimous Round 12 – split