Tyson Fury v Oleksandr Usyk 2: What next for ‘Gypsy King’ after second straight defeat?

Oleksandr Usyk defeated Tyson Fury by unanimous decision. Photo / Getty Images

Heavyweight boxer Tyson Fury will take a rest before considering whether to face Anthony Joshua in an all-British showdown in 2025, despite contesting the decision to award Oleksandr Usyk victory in their bout in Riyadh.

Fury now has two defeats on his record, both by Usyk, and they will stand. The British fighter, 36, has earned a staggering sum in the past five years, for his trilogy of fights with Deontay Wilder in the United States and recent events against Usyk in Saudi Arabia – reportedly earning the equivalent of NZ$332 million for three fights. However, it remains to be seen whether the heavyweight can haul himself into camp for one last hurrah.

He hinted in the aftermath of his second loss to Usyk, that he may even retire.

“You might see me fight again, you might not,” Fury said post-fight.

And if the former two-time heavyweight champion does decide to call it a day, it will deny British fight fans the clash they have been clamouring for, with him and Joshua having been on a collision course for almost a decade.

Promoter Eddie Hearn is calling for it now.

“The reality is there’s only one fight for Tyson Fury and that’s Anthony Joshua,” he told DAZN. “It’s the biggest fight in the history of British boxing and everyone will want to see it.”

“For me, AJ against Fury is the one. One at Wembley and then back out here for Riyadh season. I will be pushing his excellency [Saudi Arabia’s boxing power broker Turki Alalshikh] to make the fight.”

If instead he chooses to retire, Fury will still be remembered as a great heavyweight and one of the sport’s great showmen. With freakish skills for his size, his crowning glories were deposing Wladimir Klitschko, who had reigned as heavyweight king for a decade, and for the trilogy of fights with Wilder, who was considered the most dangerous puncher on the planet at the time.

First, though, Fury must deal with the second defeat of his career, and one which he vehemently disagrees with: “I thought I won the fight again, I was Larry Holmes-ed again,” said Fury. “I was on the front foot the entire time. When you don’t get the knockout this is what can happen.”

As Fury walked to his dressing room after the fight, his oldest son Prince by his side, he asserted that he believed that he had won “by three rounds”. That view was re-enforced by Frank Warren, his promoter, who was bewildered by the judges’ scores of 116-112 to Usyk, meaning that all three ringside officials had scored the world championship bout at eight rounds to four in favour of Usyk.

Several of the rounds were extremely close. That was reflected in the three judges being in unison on only seven of the 12 rounds, with them favouring the second half of the fight towards the Ukrainian.

Daniel Dubois, the holder of the IBF belt stepped into the ring as Usyk was being interviewed by the television broadcasters, to call Usyk out for a second – this time unification – contest. Usyk immediately agreed, which shows the kind of champion the Ukrainian remains.

If Dubois is triumphant in his own title defence in Riyadh on February 22 in an enticing contest with Joseph Parker, we may witness that showdown next summer. And yet, Dubois-Parker could go either way. In truth, Usyk could consider stopping now – he turns 38 in January – and be considered as the standout heavyweight fighter of the era.

If the careers of some in the division are reaching their zenith, the audience at the Kingdom Arena witnessed the rising star of the division in Moses Itauma, the young Briton who knocked out Australian Demsey McKean in the first round. He did it in 1min 57sec in a statement that reverberated across the boxing world. Itauma is now 11-0, with nine knockouts. He is a southpaw with devastating power. In a week’s time, he turns 20.

Promoted by Warren, Moses is set to take over the division. “If he keeps going like this, he could be the world champion in a year. But we won’t rush him ...” Warren has said.

The overriding aura Itauma brings? That boxing is a young man’s game, and we are witnessing the emergence of a special talent. A talent which might just make the elder statesmen of the division – Usyk, Fury, Joshua – reposition their plans.