Tyson Fury fans are already trying to discredit Oleksandr Usyk’s win on Saturday, claiming the Ukrainian sensation used an illegal inhaler in between rounds.
Boxing has its first unified heavyweight world champion in 25 years after Usyk delivered a stunning performance against ‘The Gypsy King’ during their 12-round affair in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh. While Fury appeared to have things well in hand in the early going, Usyk turned it up in the later rounds — particularly in the ninth when he was credited with a knockdown after overwhelming Fury with an onslaught of strikes.
However, some skeptics were quick to cry foul after a clip of Usyk in his corner began making the rounds on social media. The clip, which you can see below, had commenters accusing ‘The Cat’ of using an inhaler between rounds seven and eight.
As it turns out, there was no inhaler. The object in question turned out to be a cross.
For the inhaler crowd:
— BOXING n BBQ (@BOXINGnBBQ) May 19, 2024
Tyson Fury Credits Oleksandr Usyk’s Title Win on Ukraine
After taking a fairly significant beating to the body, Usyk bounced back beautifully, showing off his conditioning compared to that of the significantly bigger Brit. Fortunately, rumors of him using an inhaler were quickly debunked as it could have resulted in a disqualification, putting a big fat blemish on an otherwise spectacular fight.
Following the fight, Fury insisted that he was the rightful winner after coming up on the wrong side of a split decision. He even went so far as to suggest that the war between Ukraine — Usyk’s home country — and Russia played a role in the scoring.
“You know his country’s at war, so people are siding for the country at war,’’ Fury said during a post-fight interview. “Make no mistake, I won that fight, and I’ll be back.’’
While some of the scores provided by the presiding judges raised a few eyebrows, the consensus appears to approve of Usyk’s win.
Regardless, Fury will have the chance to even the series via a rematch clause that was worked into their initial fight contract. No official details have been revealed, but the two are rumored to run it back in October.