Tyson Fury was hopeful that a better game plan would allow him to take revenge on Oleksandr Usyk to become heavyweight champion again.
In the heart of another hard-fought duel between the two best heavyweights in boxing, Usyk was still able to get the better of Fury once again to inflict the second setback of his career and remain unified champion WBA, WBO and WBC.
Fast, dynamic and efficient, Usyk was able to avoid his opponent's powerful strikes for 12 rounds and limit the damage. His work on the body notably helped him to triumph by unanimous decision. All three judges handed cards of 116-112 in favor of Usyk.
In the first fight between the two men on May 18, Usyk became the first undisputed heavyweight champion in 25 years, thanks to a victory against Fury by split decision. He was then forced to leave the IBF belt vacant since he did not fight against Daniel Dubois to defend it.
Usyk (23-0, 14 KOs) is still undefeated in 23 professional fights, so the Gipsy King (34-2-1, 24 KOs) suffered a second loss in a row.
The two boxers spent the first round observing each other more. Fury used his jab to keep his opponent at bay, while also landing a few attacks at opportune moments.
While Usyk seemed to gradually break through Fury's guard to offer some attacks, the Briton finished the second round strong with a good right that made Usyk dance.
Fast and dynamic, Usyk gained the upper hand over his opponent in the fourth attack. A powerful left reached Fury, then Usyk continued to attack with some good combinations. Fury, however, responded in turn with some powerful blows that hit the target.
Fury seemed to change a few elements of his game plan in the fifth round and he was more effective, with good body shots and some other more powerful shots. At the end of the round, Usyk reminded his opponent that he was still in full possession of his means with a brilliant combination.
A brief moment of deference in the sixth, during which Fury let his guard down, allowed Usyk to hit him solidly in the face on two occasions. The Ukrainian played the trick on Fury again in the next round with a good left hand to the chin.
Possibly affected by being 55 pounds heavier than his opponent, Fury seemed to have difficulty keeping up with Usyk's pace in the second half of the fight and the champion took advantage of the situation to dictate the pace of the fight.
Fury picked up the pace from the ninth round and seemed to close the gap between the two pugilists with some good punches, but Usyk stopped his momentum late in the 11th round with a left hand that sent Fury back into the cables.
The fight was spectacular until the very end, with both men trading blow for blow until the last second.
