Tyson Fury lost in his rematch against Oleksandr Usyk in Saudi Arabia (Image: Getty)
and have been handed bans from after their much-anticipated title rematch resulted in defeat for the Brit. In their undisputed heavyweight championship clash on Saturday night (December 21) in , , retaining his WBC heavyweight title from their initial bout in May.
Usyk put on a commanding performance against Fury, improving his unbeaten career record to 23-0. Despite showing strength at times, the British boxer couldn’t topple the Ukrainian champion, bringing his career record to 34-2-1. Post-fight, Usyk was suspended until June 2 due to injuries requiring four stitches, while Fury was handed a one-week ban by the UAE Boxing Commission, who supervised the match.
It’s standard procedure for fighters to be given a rest period to safeguard their health following a hearing from the sanctioning body that held a hearing to determine the duration of the medical suspensions based on the fight’s events, reports .
Given that their latest contest went the full 12 rounds – with all three judges scoring it 116-112 in Usyk’s favour – both fighters can expect some downtime to recuperate. Usyk previously defeated Fury in May via a unanimous decision, nearly securing a TKO in the ninth round.
This defeat marked the first loss of Fury’s professional career. Usyk’s suspension, a formality in the boxing world, has had no real effect on his career as he hasn’t stepped into the ring since his bout with Fury. The 37-year-old Ukrainian boxer was coming off an arduous nine-month training camp prior to facing Fury. At a press conference in May, Usyk expressed his desire for a break from the sport: “I don’t want to think about boxing now,” he declared.
He recounted the personal milestones he missed while preparing for the fight: “I missed [a] happy New Year, I missed my son’s birthday, I missed my other son’s birthday, I missed my daughter’s birthday and then the birth of my daughter. I also missed family holidays. I was only focused on this fight. Now I’m happy and I want to go back home.”
The Ukrainian retained his undisputed heavyweight belts against Fury (Image: Getty)
Fury received a one-week medical suspension after the match, which was announced shortly after Usyk’s. Despite his first defeat to Usyk back in May, the 36-year-old gloated: “I’ve just had a fight. As you can see from my face, I’m pretty busted up and Usyk’s gone to hospital with a broken jaw,” he said. “He’s busted up too.”
As for their future in the ring, neither boxer needs to be concerned about suspensions affecting a potential trilogy fight. Although their initial contract included terms for a rematch, there is no agreement in place for a third encounter.