Even before Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk stepped into the ring it was revealed that a rematch was contracted should either man want it and now we have been given a huge update on that.
In their recent encounter last weekend, it was Usyk who emerged victorious after a remarkable turn of events in the ninth round. Usyk landed a powerful left hand that stunned Fury, followed by a series of aggressive attacks that forced the referee to administer a standing count as Fury was kept up by the ropes.
Usyk maintained control in the later rounds, finishing the fight with strength, and there were no objections when he was awarded a split decision victory.
Usyk added Fury’s WBC belt to his WBA, WBO and IBF titles and so the win makes him the first undisputed world heavyweight champion since 1999 when Lennox Lewis last held the honour, albeit that was before the current four-belt era.
The loss is the first of Fury’s career and he is a proud man who will be keen to right that one wrong.
On the night he said he believed he won the fight.
“He won a few of the rounds but I won the majority of them and it was one of those decisions in boxing. We both put on a good fight, the best we could do. His country is at war, so people are siding with the country at war, but make no mistake, I won that fight.
“I will be back, we have a rematch clause. I’ll be back, I’ve got a rematch clause. For sure, we go back. Have a little rest up, spend some time with my family and we go again in October.”
Speaking to BoxNation, promoter Frank Warren confirmed that Fury has taken time to think and will indeed be taking the rematch.
“Tyson, as far as I am concerned, he has been one of our best fighters and that fight was so close, and now everybody quite rightly is saying n their view he is the best and I get that and I understand that and there is ogling to be a rematch and that rematch will be in October and Tyson confirmed that. I told him to really think about it and he has and that’s what he wants.”
The rematch is unlikely to involve the undisputed title, as Usyk is on the verge of being stripped of his IBF belt due to an overdue mandatory defence obligation.
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