Boxing
Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury: WBC president gives his verdict on scorecards
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WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman backed the scorecards for the Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk undisputed heavyweight title fight.
Usyk won via split decision, and some believed that the clash should have been stopped in the ninth round, when the Ukrainian had the previous WBC heavyweight champion on the brink.
Ultimately it was Usyk who was given the nod after the 12 rounds, and a rematch has been confirmed for December this year.
Sulaiman has often been willing to give Fury a little leeway when it came to choosing his fights, and did not strip him of the belt when he declared he had retired.
However, speaking to Casino Reviews, he made it clear he had no problems with the judges’ decision.
Asked if he was happy with the scores, he said: “Yes, it was a very close fight. It came down to the 11th round and it was scored in favour of Oleksandr Usyk by two judges, one of them in Mike Fitzgerald and Mike Metcalfe scored it in favour of Tyson Fury.
“So, if Metcalfe scored it for Usyk rather than Fury it would’ve been a unanimous decision for Usyk. If Fitzgerald had scored it to Fury then he would’ve won the fight so the rounds were very close, that one in particular. A huge left hand at the end of the round by Usyk was a statement.
“Scoring is subject[ive], it’s a complicated task but I believe a split decision win for Usyk is more than fair and acceptable. Our position is to always have the best possibilities to avoid a controversy and that’s why we wanted six judges.”
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