Tyson Fury drops in heavyweight rankings after second defeat to Oleksandr Usyk

The Mancunian, 36, headed into his rematch with Usyk in Saudi Arabia just before Christmas at the top of the WBO's rankings

By: irishmirror.ie

Jan 02 2025
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Tyson Fury drops in heavyweigh

Tyson Fury has dropped two places in the WBO heavyweight rankings after losing to Oleksandr Usyk for a second time last month.

The Mancunian, 36, headed into his rematch with Usyk in Saudi Arabia just before Christmas at the top of the WBO's rankings. But his failure to overcome the Ukrainian has seen him drop down to third in the pecking order.

While Fury has dropped on the WBO list, he is still No.1 with the WBC. He isn't ranked at all with the WBA, though, as he ponders his next move following a second career defeat.

Fury and his team, including promoter Frank Warren, were furious after Usyk was given the win on points. The latter said he was "dumbfounded" by the scorecards, while Fury claimed the judges had given his opponent "a Christmas gift".

“I thought I won that fight again. I thought I won both fights but going home with two losses on my record,” Fury said after failing to gain a measure of revenge for their first bout, which Usyk won by split decision.

“Not much I can do about it, I can just fight my heart out and do the best I can. I’ll believe until the day I die that I won that fight. I was aggressive, on the front foot all night, landing body and head.

“I think he got a Christmas gift from the judges.”

There has been plenty of speculation over what comes next for Fury, including a potential British mega-fight with Anthony Joshua with Usyk now expected to move on to a second undisputed clash with Daniel Dubois. Others have questioned whether Fury will consider retirement after failing to regain his heavyweight titles.

Joshua's promoter, Eddie Hearn, has already stoked the flames ahead of a potential dream bout in 2025.

The two have both previously flirted with the idea of fighting each other only to disappoint fans. But with both coming off devastating losses, the prospect of them locking horns feels more realistic than ever.

Speaking to iFL TV after Fury's loss, Hearn said of AJ's plans: “For us, there’s only two fights we're interested in: Daniel Dubois rematch and Tyson Fury. [AJ] would love another chance to become world heavyweight champion.

“So, now the Fury fight is there. It might not be as big as it could have been, but it’s still the biggest fight in boxing.

"Tell me a bigger fight in boxing. It doesn’t exist. AJ-Fury is the biggest fight in the sport of boxing. He’s still p***ed off, and he’ll go away and spend time with his family. I mentioned two names for us. Tell me two names for Tyson Fury. There’s only one.”

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