Oleksandr Usyk is banned from competing for having defeated Tyson Fury in a match with nothing to criticize
Oleksandr Usyk has been issued a brief suspension following his intense victory over Tyson Fury. In their undisputed bout, Usyk nearly floored Fury in the ninth round, with only the ropes keeping the Brit upright. The referee intervened to count, and despite recovering to hear the final bell, Fury suffered his first career loss by split-decision in Saudi Arabia.
Post-fight, Usyk was taken to hospital for a check-up and was given the all-clear, even though Fury claimed he had fractured his opponent’s jaw. However, industry website BoxRec reports that the British Boxing Board of Control has suspended Usyk until June 2, presumably due to his injuries. No such suspension is noted on Fury’s record.
The suspension will not affect Usyk’s career as the Ukrainian boxer is ready for a break after a nine-month training camp. His fight with Fury was initially postponed from December to February and then to May, reports the Mirror.
“I don’t want to think about boxing now,” said Usyk, who attended the post-fight press conference with his daughter Yelizaveta’s Eeyore cuddly toy. “My camp started in September 2023 and I worked for nine months.
“I missed 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.”
Usyk’s reign as the undisputed champion is set to be short-lived, with the IBF preparing to strip him of their title due to his contractual obligations for a rematch with Fury in October, which prevents him from facing mandatory challenger Filip Hrgovic.
Despite the looming second bout, Fury was non-committal immediately after his loss. “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’s busted up too,” Fury remarked, showing the toll of the intense fight.
“We punched f*** out of each other for 12 rounds, so I’ll go home, eat some food, drink a few beers, have some family time, walk the dog, go to the tip. I will regroup and then me and (promoter) Frank Warren will talk about what’s going to happen in the future. I’ll speak to the wife and kids and see what I want to do. If there’s going to be another fight in October, well then rock and roll.”
