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Saturday, December 21, 2024

SLAVA UKRAINA

Usyk beats Fury in heavyweight championship rematch

Sulafa Alkhunaizi
December 21, 2024

RIYADH: Ukrainian heavyweight boxer Oleksandr Usyk takes the crown again in a rematch with British heavyweight boxer Tyson Fury, retaining the “undisputed” title.

The rematch took place at Riyadh’s Kingdom Arena on Saturday evening.

Usyk was awarded the fight 116-112 in favor by all three judges, handing Fury his second loss.

Usyk’s win takes him to 23-0 with 14 knockouts and extends one of the all-time best careers that includes Olympic gold and undisputed champion at cruiserweight.

On the sidelines of the much-anticipated rematch, the first ever artificial intelligence judge was used as an experiment and did not decide the fight, according to Turki bin Abdulmohsen Alalshikh, Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority.

During the media press conference, Fury told Arab News about the positive seven months he spent training and prepping for the rematch.

“I’ve had a good life, it's been good times, and I have had good training.”

Usyk told Arab News that he is happy that he won.

"I'm not a proud man, I'm just happy that I won. I like to motivate people to give them the incentive to do something."

As part of the undercard matches, Rhys Edwards, the Welsh featherweight boxer was overcome by the Peter Mcgrail British featherweight, who claimed his 11th professional win.

The fight was initially scheduled to be Mcgrail and Dennis McCann, who failed a drug test, causing him to be disqualified. Edwards stepped in with a five-day notice and accepted the challenge.

In an interview with Arab News, Edwards expressed his sentiments but remained optimistic given the short notice.

“ I'm a bit gutted I didn't get the win, but the whole week has absolutely been fantastic. And I've loved every moment of it…. I have learned a lot about myself. I took the fight (with) four days' notice, and a lot of people didn't give me enough credit or a chance coming into this fight. It was a very close (and) hard fight for both of us. So, I'm sure my profile and stocks have risen and I'm happy.

”I'm a very good fighter and I will fight anyone. I'm looking forward to a very big 2025.”

Tyson superfan Molly Chapman shared her predictions on which heavyweight will take the crown.

“I think Tyson Fury is going to win. I think his attitude is completely different this time. He seems more focused. He's been training hard. He looks in good shape and I think he's going to win.”

She told Arab News that her first time visiting the Kingdom has been amazing and has already begun planning her next visit.

“Saudi Arabia is just beautiful. The culture, the people, everyone's so friendly. And yeah, we're actually going to come back in February for the next fight.”

Daria Pyliukhno attended the boxing night rocking a “Ukraine” shirt, a true testament to her support towards Usyk.

“So today, of course I have to be here supporting my country. I'm from Ukraine, and I support Usyk. And I think he will win because Ukrainians mentality are strong enough to fight…I think that Usyk should bring Ukraine again the title of “The heavyweight champion.”

Riyadh Season’s wonderful surprises did not end there. A member of the audience was selected to win a Mercedes-Benz S-Class, presented by Alsheikh, during the opening ceremony.

Riyadh’s newly built Kingdom Arena played host to the boxing event, dubbed ‘Ring of Fire’, with a sellout crowd including several sports and entertainment figures in attendance at the 22,000-capacity venue.