Fury vs Usyk: Will Usyk lose the undisputed title and when will the rematch be? | Boxing

Oleksandr Usyk rewrote the history books by defeating Tyson Fury to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the world in 25 years.

The Ukrainian won the 12-round fight by split decision, despite cornering Fury in a near-knockout in the ninth round, as the who’s who of boxing, including the last undisputed champion Lennox Lewis, looked on at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Sunday.

[You can read our blow-by-blow account of the fight here.]

Here’s what happened after the fight and how boxing’s big names reacted:

Will Fury and Usyk have a rematch?

Immediately after the fight, Fury asked Usyk for a rematch and the champion did not refuse the challenge.

“I have a rematch clause and I want it because I won that fight,” said Fury still in the ring.

“We will rest and fight again in October.”

Promoter Frank Warren also confirmed that the rematch has begun.

“That’s what the contract says and if that’s what [Fury] wants, then it’s up to him,” Warren told the stations.

Any rematch in October is unlikely to be for all four belts as the International Boxing Federation (IBF) plans to strip Usyk if he does not face the next mandatory challenger, Filip Hrgovic.

Why will Usyk lose the title in two weeks?

Usyk’s reign as undisputed heavyweight champion of the world could only last a few weeks if, as many expect, the IBF retakes the belt due to the rematch clause with Fury.

The long-time undefeated IBF mandatory challenger – Hrgovic of Croatia – is scheduled to fight Daniel Dubois of the United Kingdom on June 1 in Riyadh.

That fight could become an IBF title fight if the US-based body follows previous form, with the winner tipped to face former UK champion Anthony Joshua later in the year.

Lewis was a WBC, WBA, IBF and IBO champion until the WBA stripped him of the belt because he chose not to fight a mandatory challenger.

The IBF took away the belt in 2002 for similar reasons.

What did Usyk say after defeating Fury?

“It’s a great opportunity for me, for my family, for my country,” said Usyk, 37, who served briefly as a soldier after the Russian invasion.

“It’s a big moment, a big day,” he said, adding that he was “ready for a rematch.”

Why did Fury think he deserved to win?

Fury called it a “fantastic fight with Oleksandr” but said sympathy for the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia influenced the judges.

“I believe I won that fight, I believe he won a few rounds, but I won the majority,” he said.

“You know his country is at war, so people are on the side of the country at war, but make no mistake, I won this fight in my opinion and I will be back.”

Fury, however, said he would discuss the possible rematch with his wife and children.

“I’m going to take a vacation, I’m going to go home, I’m going to pass this on to the wife and the kids, I’m going to see what I want to do,” he told reporters.

How did boxing legends react?

Lewis, who brought the belts to the ring along with his former enemy Evander Holyfield, said his compatriot Fury lost the fight because he fought as if he had won.

“Fury was boxing like he won the fight, but you have to fight every round,” he said in his post-fight analysis.

“If a round is close then it’s a loss and that’s how he should be thinking.”

Lewis said Usyk “tired Fury”.

“He was throwing a lot of punches. [Usyk] He was focused the entire time and had his fans cheering him on from the front row.

“Every time they cheered for him, his energy increased.”

Meanwhile, Usyk’s compatriot Wladimir Klitschko said Usyk’s victory brought some relief to Ukrainians in the midst of war.

“Usyk didn’t lose his potential and he believed in it from the first round until the end of the fight.

“Imagine that [Vladimir] Putin’s Russia is attacking us with drones and rockets. On the other hand, we had the opportunity to believe in Usyk for 45 minutes.