Tyson Fury pictured hand-in-hand with wife Paris after his loss to Oleksandr Usyk (Image: TNT Sports)
A furious Tyson Fury was consoled by his wife Paris after he abruptly left the ring following his defeat against Oleksandr Usyk.
Fury suffered a unanimous decision loss against his Ukrainian rival, with each judge scoring the fight 116-112. The Gypsy King made a swift exit after the announcement of the result, leaving the ring without uttering a word.
The 36-year-old, from Wythenshawe, had captured headlines in the build-up to the fight after claiming that he hadn’t seen or spoken to his wife or children in three months as he prepared for his rematch with Usyk following his first defeat.
However, his efforts were in vain as his opponent once again emerged victorious, but Paris quickly joined her husband after he stormed out of the ring.
Fury, who has seven children with wife Paris, expressed his disappointment as he neared his dressing room.
The former world champion, who lost his first fight against Usyk by split decision, was convinced he had secured a clear victory. “I swear to God, I thought I won by three rounds! ” he told Sky Sports.
”I thought I won the fight again, I was Larry Holmesed again,” he added to ESPN. “I was on the front foot the entire time. When you don’t get the knockout, this is what can happen.
Fury’s frustration was also clear to see in the post-fight press conference. “The judges gave him a Christmas gift,” he said. “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. Frank [Warren] had me three or four rounds up and a lot of people had me up by at least two.”
The Brit then added: “I’m not going to cry over spilt milk, it’s over now. 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.”
The official scorecards from the fight in Riyadh were shared by Queensbury Promotions (Image: queensberrypromotions/Instagram)
Queensberry Promotions chief Frank Warren also expressed his disbelief at the outcome. “It’s nuts. Did you only give him four rounds out of eight? I don’t get it. I’m really disappointed. We’ll have to see what happens in the future for Tyson. I thought he was in control, boxed really well and had Usyk on his back foot.
“How come Tyson only got four rounds in this fight? It’s impossible,” he continued. “He’s very disappointed as I am as well. Everyone along the front [of the ring] thought it was all the same way.”
However, Usyk, who extended his unbeaten record to 23 fights, responded to the criticism with humour. “Uncle Frank, I think he is blind,” he joked. “If Tyson says it is a Christmas gift then OK, thank you God, not Tyson. Thank you to my team.”
Matchroom boss Eddie Hearn took a more diplomatic stance following the bout, despite having backed Fury to win ahead of Saturday night. “I had it very close, I couldn’t split it,” he said.
“All three judges had it the same way. I had it a draw, one round, I thought it was close. We’ll watch it back, but I found it difficult to pick a winner.”