The Ukrainian, in anticipation of a rematch, commented on his victory over the "Gypsy King".
WBA, WBO, WBC and IBO heavyweight title holder Oleksandr Usyk admitted that during his first fight against former champion Tyson Fury did not want to harm his opponent's health.
The Ukrainian said this on the air of the TNTSportsBoxing YouTube channel, answering a question about the ninth round of that fight, when he knocked the Briton down.
“I didn't want to hurt him, I was just boxing. I don't need to do that, to hurt him. I know what boxing is. I know that after the fight he will go home to his children, to his wife. It's bad when you hurt your opponent,” Usyk said.
The Usyk-Fury rematch will take place on December 21 in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia). All titles held by the Ukrainian boxer will be at stake.
Unlike the first fight, this time the title of absolute world champion will not be at stake, since Alexander previously renounced the IBF title. Now it is held by Daniel Dubois, who has already managed to defend it by knocking out Anthony Joshua.
Recall that on the night of May 19, 2024, Usyk won by split decision against Fury in a fight for the title of absolute world heavyweight champion.
Thus, Alexander defended the WBO, WBA, IBO and IBF belts, and also took the WBC title from the “Gypsy King”. Usyk became the first absolute world champion in the heavyweight division in the 21st century.
Before that, the last “absolute” heavyweight champion was Lennox Lewis, who won this status in 1999, when he defeated Evander Holyfield. At that time, the WBA, WBC and IBF titles were at stake. The WBO belt was recognized as equal in 2007, so Usyk became the first “absolute” heavyweight champion in history with four main titles.