Oleksandr Usyk has once more proven himself to be the best heavyweight in the modern era after a unanimous decision win over Tyson Fury in a close battle separated by only two rounds. The two headlined a multi-promotional card, sponsored by Riyadh Season, at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on December 21.

Oleksandr Usyk Vs. Tyson Fury II

Despite only three of Oleksandr Usyk’s (23-0, 14 KO’s) titles being on the line [WBA, WBC & WBO], his battle with Tyson Fury (34-2-1, 24 KO’s) was still considered one of the most relevant heavyweight (200+ lbs) bouts this year and potentially topped their first match held in May which saw Usyk become the undisputed heavyweight champion.

The bout between the two fighters was predictably close early on with many tight rounds between them that made it difficult to put one or the other ahead. Unlike the first match, the battle between both heavyweights started much faster than expected and expended a lot of energy early on.

Neither fighter seemed capable of avoiding damage on the night, but it was Usyk’s greater work rate and superior conditioning that allowed him to break through and claim an important victory. In this rematch, Fury did prove himself to be more effective―overall appearing to throw more and landing more power punches than he did the first, but his height and reach advantage seemed to more pronouncedly work against him.

Like the first fight, Oleksandr Usyk sought to close the distance to be able to land on Tyson Fury who kept his distance well in the early half of the bout but struggled to maintain the same work rate as Usyk. This would ultimately allow Usyk to grab his second victory over the British challenger, especially in the latter half of the fight where Usyk managed to maintain the same pace as earlier while Fury’s was clearly waning.

As a result, Oleksandr Usyk clearly took at least one or two rounds more in the fight, dazzling the crowd with his determination, toughness and nigh-boundless stamina as he loosed a slew of combinations that Tyson Fury himself could not emulate. This was further characterized by Fury’s tactics with his right hand from the orthodox stance becoming more of a weapon he relied upon whereas Usyk continuously mixed up his attacks, hitting Fury where able and seeking to assert his dominance in the match with his activity.

The end of the 12 rounds eventually saw Oleksandr Usyk declared the rightfull winner by unanimous decision (UD) through all three judges’ scorecards of 116-112―meaning there had just been two rounds separating the two fighters from a draw. In actuality, the fight appeared just a bit closer, with only one round between the two which Usyk won clearly due to his efforts in the championship [last three] rounds.

With Usyk retaining his WBA, WBC and WBO titles, retirement may be on the corner for the Ukrainian champion while Fury might still have enough in the tank for his next biggest fight following his back-to-back losses to Usyk; a crucial and much-anticipated all-British bout against former unified champion Anthony Joshua (28-4, 25 KO’s).

Undercard fights:

• The most shocking result of the evening was the heavyweight match between British prospect/contender Moses Itauma (11-0, 9 KO’s) and Australian fighter Demsey McKean (22-2, 14 KO’s). Originally ruled as just an undercard match, the fight would be billed as the co-main event but one that would surprisingly not last one.
  
  Originally scheduled for 10 rounds, the fight only lasted for one round as Itauma proved to be the most surprising feature of the card as he coursed to a 1st-round stoppage win over McKean. Despite the vast disparity in experience between the two, with Itauma having only debuted in the pro ranks last year while McKean has been fighting for over 10 years, the British fighter still proved himself to be a level above.
  
  From the onset of the 1st round, it was Moses Itauma whom was more prevalent with his punches effectively landing and characterizing his greater speed, strength and accuracy. His jab was further more prominent than McKean whose blows were mostly blocked by Itauma’s gloves rather than slipping through. Additionally, Itauma was quicker on his feet which further bolstered his ability to efficiently defend himself against McKean’s offense while his own attacks were boosted by his ability to close the distance swiftly.
  
  These small details would prove to be much more pivotal after the 1st minute when a right and left hook combination from the southpaw stance abruptly dropped McKean and culminated in the first knockdown of the match.
  
  RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA – DECEMBER 21: Moses Itauma knocks out Demsey McKean in their bout as part of Oleksandr Usyk v Tyson Fury 2 at Kingdom Arena on December 21, 2024 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Mark Robinson/Getty Images).
  
  Demsey McKean recovered enough to beat the count of ten and continue fighting but the damage had already been done as Moses Itauma stepped up his pressure and in less than a minute finished McKean off with another left hand which forced the referee to stop the fight. Itauma was ruled the winner by technical knockout (TKO) as a result and has clearly closed the gap between being a prospect to becoming, at the very least, a fringe contender for a world heavyweight title, if not a genuine top 10/15 contender.
  
• At super welterweight (154 lbs), a planned bout between Ukrainiain contender Serhii Bohachuk (25-2, 24 KO’s) and Uzbek fighter Israil Madrimov (10-1-1, 7 KO’s) was altered roughly two weeks ago as the latter reportedly suffered from bronchitis which forced him to withdraw from the bout. Instead, British contender Ishmael Davis (13-2, 6 KO’s) stepped in to replace Madrimov.
  
  Bohachuk did an excellent job furthering his own prospects to become a world title challenger as Davis’ corner retired him in the 6th round of their 12-round bout. Before that, Bohachuk largely dominated, knocking the British fighter down in the 2nd round to further epitomize his elite talent.
  
• Another relevant heavyweight bout on the card concerned a domestic battle between rising contender Johnny Fisher (13-0, 11 KO’s) and former British top contender David Allen (23-7-2, 18 KO’s). Allen, who come back from a short retirement between 2020 and 2021, had mostly continued his career with low-tier opposition but showed up on the night against the younger Fisher, pushing him to the full 10 rounds which Fisher eventually won by split-decision through scorecards of 95-94 versus one score in favor of Allen [93-96].
  
  It was a close call for Johnny Fisher who was the more active fighter but had to contend with Allen’s experience and skill which saw Fisher knocked down in the 5th round and struggling to deal with Allen’s efficiency. Arguably, with the match turning out to be evenly-matched, the knockdown was the only thing separating the two British heavyweights and could have potentially culminated in a loss for Fisher had the judges not scored differently.
  
  Fisher further won the [vacant] WBA Inter-Contintental title as a result of his victory.