Tyson Fury is “philosophical” about losing for the first time, to Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight title.
The 35-year-old was winning the most significant heavyweight fight for 25 years until the impressive Usyk transformed their contest to almost stop Fury in the ninth round at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and ultimately to earn a deserved decision.
When he spoke from the ring, post-fight, he spoke of his belief that he had won and said that he wanted a rematch. From his post-fight press conference he continued to insist that he had won but that he would consider his options before deciding what comes next.
Since leaving Saudi Arabia he has since instructed his co-promoter Frank Warren to exercise the rematch clause that existed in his contract, and can therefore be expected, in October, to fight the 37-year-old Usyk for a second time and to attempt to avenge his only defeat.
“He was very philosophical about it and he just wants the rematch,” Warren said. “He said in the ring he wanted the rematch; he said in the dressing room he wanted the rematch, and he said to me a couple of days ago when he got home and we were talking that he wanted the rematch.
“Very philosophical – disappointed obviously – but philosophical. He felt he won it. But it was a close fight. I can see why some people are saying Usyk won it; I can see why some are saying it’s a draw. I felt he won it by a round, but I’m not complaining about that – it was a magnificent fight between two gladiators. It was the best heavyweight fight of the century, because the four belts were on the line and the nature of the fight. Neither of them left anything in the ring. I went to the dressing rooms after, and afterwards they both knew they was in a fight.
“He wants it. He’s a fighting man. That ninth round – how he came back from that and got himself back in, and at the end of it won the 12th round… Even on the judges’ cards he won the 12th round. There was one stage in the fight, a couple of uppercuts he threw – he stiffened up his legs and a lot of people around me said, ‘Next round he’ll do him’. He came out like a steam train.
“I’ve got to be honest – I was surprised he stood up [under assault in the ninth]. He didn’t get knocked out by one punch. He got caught with a couple of real good punches, and he didn’t go to the floor. I know he went back to the ropes but he didn’t touch down. I thought the referee [Mark Nelson, in issuing a standing count] did exactly the right thing, and it was proven by the fact he won the final round.
“I don’t want to see anybody get hurt – I know we’re in the hurt business, but you don’t want to see him taking any unnecessary punishment. He did a fabulous job. It takes two people to have a great fight.
“I’ve got to be honest – I’m pleased the bell went [when it did at the end of the ninth]. How he got back into it was amazing.
“He was being told in the corner he was winning the fight and I ran to him and said, ‘You’ve got to win the last two rounds to be emphatic about it’. Had he done that he’d have won the fight. He only had to win one round on the other judge’s scorecard. He was down, but it’s yesterday, and he’s one of them. ‘I’ll deal with today and put it right in the future.’ What he’s focused on now is October.
“The moments in that fight you can see – if he does what he does he’ll win the rematch. I’d like to see him use his jab more, ‘cause when he was using his jab he was pushing him back; he was negating a lot of what Usyk did. The uppercut was a great shot – and the body shots. The uppercut, if he’d thrown it a few more times – who knows? But it’s all ifs. What he’s got to do is make sure next time he does.
“What does [the first fight, ahead of a second] take out of them?”
Usyk is increasingly expected to be stripped of the IBF title, so that it can be contested by Daniel Dubois and Filip Hrgovic at the same venue on June 1, and asked if the rematch between Fury and Usyk would be undermined by not being for the undisputed title, Warren responded: “We’ll see what happens. He’s not been stripped yet, so we’ll see what happens.
“It would be a shame.”
