Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk were both slapped with temporary bans from boxing after their heavyweight title rematch.
In a highly-anticipated rematch of their heavyweight clash from May, the 37-year-old defeated his British counter-part via a unanimous decision on Saturday night (December 21) in Riyadh.
Usyk successfully defended his WBC heavyweight title with a solid performance against Fury, improving his career record to 23-0. Despite showing strength at times, the ‘Gypsy King’ couldn’t topple the Ukrainian champion, bringing his career record down to 34-2-1.
Following the fight, the Ukrainian boxer was suspended until June 2 due to injuries requiring four stitches, while Fury was prohibited from fighting for a week by the UAE Boxing Commission, who supervised the match. It’s standard procedure for fighters to be temporarily sidelined to safeguard their health, reports the Mirror US.
Considering their latest match lasted 12 rounds – all three judges scored it 116-112 in Usyk’s favour – both fighters can expect some time off to recover. Usyk previously defeated Fury in May via a unanimous decision, nearly securing a TKO in the ninth round. This loss marked the first in Fury’s professional career.
Usyk’s suspension has not affected his professional trajectory as he hasn’t stepped into the ring since his bout with Fury. The suspension is largely seen as a formality in boxing circles.
The 37-year-old came out of an intense nine-month training camp prior to facing Fury. “I don’t want to think about boxing now,” he expressed during his May press conference.
“I missed [a] 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.”
Fury received a one-week medical suspension post-fight, which was issued shortly after Usyk’s. Despite his losing his undefeated record back in May, the Manchester native bragged about his lack of injuries compared to Usyk. “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,” the confident 36-year-old previously declared. “He’s busted up too.”
Neither boxer needs to be concerned about suspensions affecting a potential trilogy; while their initial contract included a rematch clause, there is no agreement in place for a possible third encounter.