Once upon a time, the world stopped to watch when the heavyweight championship was at stake. Oleksandr Usyk's unanimous-decision triumph over Tyson Fury in Riyadh on Saturday was barely noticed. There were pockets of interest in the fighters' Ukrainian and English homelands. But beyond that, the response was muted. Indeed, the promotion all but wrote off the US market by scheduling the fight opposite the first round of the College Football Playoff tournament. That meant there was even less media attention for Usyk-Fury II in America than would otherwise have been the case and fewer fans buying the pay-per-view. That's a shame because it was an important fight and a good one.
It's hard to say that Fury has a "larger than life personality" because, at 6ft 9in tall and weighing 280lb, Tyson is extremely large. But his personality is equal to his size. He's loud. He's profane. He's mercurial. And he can fight.
Unlike Fury, Usyk doesn't stir passions. Outside of Ukraine, he could walk unnoticed down almost any street in the world. He has thrived and surprised in the heavyweight ranks by beating larger, harder-punching men like Fury (twice), Anthony Joshua (twice) and Daniel Dubois. He is an exemplary sportsman.
Oleksandr doesn't trash talk - "I'm just going to fight in the ring and that's all. How is trash talk going to help me? That's not how a man behaves."
He has consistently turned the other cheek to Fury's insults - "I have much respect for Tyson Fury. He's big with good skills. Tyson is my greedy belly friend. He is like my brother."
And at times he sounds like a poet - "Love is the strongest motivator. And if that doesn't help, you need more love."
Fury and Usyk first met in the ring on 18 May of this year. Tyson was expected to grab and maul and push and shove and rough Oleksandr up on the inside. But he was never able to impose his size and strength on his smaller foe.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der December 24, 2024-Ausgabe von The Guardian.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der December 24, 2024-Ausgabe von The Guardian.
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Once upon a time, the world stopped to watch when the heavyweight championship was at stake. Oleksandr Usyk's unanimous-decision triumph over Tyson Fury in Riyadh on Saturday was barely noticed.
