Tyson Fury speaks out after defeat by Oleksandr Usyk and claims he won ‘by THREE ROUNDS’ – despite Brit losing 116-112 in Riyadh rematch

Tyson Fury remained adamant he won his match against Oleksandr Usyk ‘by three rounds’ despite suffering a 116-112 defeat on Saturday night.

In a thrilling match where neither man refused to give an inch, it was Usyk who, just like seven months ago, finished strongest and claimed another victory.

Usyk became the undisputed champion by just one point in May when he earned a split-decision victory, but this time it was clearer as all three judges scored the fight 116-112 in his favor.

Fury promptly left the ring after the result was announced, after being clearly disappointed that his efforts received little recognition from the judges.

However, he was caught backstage by reporters and when asked about his opinion on the scorecards, the Gypsy King gave a surprising answer.

Speak with Sky Sports Boxing after the fight he said, “I swear to God, I thought I won by three rounds!”

Later, ESPN reported that Fury also said: ‘I thought I won the fight again, I was Larry Holmesed again. I was on the front foot the whole time. If you don’t get the knockout, this could happen.”

Meanwhile, Usyk appeared stunned when asked if he deserved to have his hand raised before facing heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois, who called for a rematch after losing to the Ukrainian great last year.

After three months away from his wife and children, Fury had vowed to be more aggressive than the first fight and avoid any showboating, and he immediately took the center of the ring. But Usyk refused to be bullied as he pushed the bigger man back in a cagey opening round.

The Brit started to put his jab into play in the second, and a sharp right hand bothered Usyk briefly as the action started to heat up.

Fury switched to southpaw as he began to gain confidence, before the fight came alive in the fourth when Usyk landed two hard left hands, only for the Gyspy King to respond with a powerful right of his own.

If the previous four rounds had been difficult to score, the fifth was not. Rage landed to the body at will and connected with a quick uppercut to the inside as he began to take control.

But Usyk is a champion for a reason. The Ukrainian came forward with renewed vigor for the sixth, catching Fury with strong left hands that wobbled the giant.

There was a much-needed respite in the seventh as both men took their foot off the gas to mount their attack for the second half of the fight.

After a break to catch his breath, the pace picked up in the eighth, with Usyk calling on Fury after being caught with a few shots. It was now a battle of both mind and physical strength.

The ninth was a round of two halves, with Fury using his jab and body shots to good effect early on, before Usyk rallied to catch the bigger man with a left hand-right hook combination. It was all still there for the taking.

When the championship rounds began, the fight was still fought at a breakneck pace and was a push and pull affair.

Yet the 11th was anything but. Usyk came out with a spring in his step and caught Fury with several hard shots. Fury grabbed them and wiped his face. No blood above the eye, but a cut had long since formed underneath. Reason for concern in the Fury corner.

Leave it all in the ring, they say, and Fury and Usyk were determined to do just that in the final round. But once again, it was Usyk who seemed to top the exchanges.

As the final bell rang, Usyk fell to his knees and the devout Christian clearly looked skyward, believing he had done enough to claim another victory.

He was proven right when he retained his undefeated record, his titles and the status of the best heavyweight in the world.