Oleksandr Usyk was rushed to hospital in Saudi Arabia on Saturday night with Tyson Fury claiming he broke the Ukrainian’s jaw.
Usyk gained a split decision victory to hand the Gypsy King the first loss of his career, and he nearly knocked out the now-former WBC heavyweight champion with a brutal onslaught in the ninth round.
However, it was the Brit who seemingly inflicted the greater damage as Usyk was forced to miss the post-fight press conference to have his injuries attended to.
Speaking after the fight, Fury said: ‘We just had a fight. Have you seen my face? It’s pretty busted up and he’s just gone to the hospital with a broken jaw and he’s busted too. We’ve punched the f*** out of each other for 12 rounds there.
‘So we’re going to go home, eat some food, drink a few beers, spend some family time, walk my dog, go to the tip and me and Frank will talk about what will happen in the future.’
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Oleksandr Usyk (back left) was rushed to hospital in Saudi Arabia with a suspected broken jaw
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Tyson Fury claimed Usyk didn’t attend the press conference because he needed treatment
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Usyk was seen spitting out his gumshield at the end of rounds, and Fury believes he inflicted significant damage on his opponent’s jaw
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Usyk also took some heavy body shots but still came through to win a split decision
Usyk was hurt with a big body shot by Fury in round six, but it’s unclear where the damage to the jaw was done.
Fury does have a legally-binding rematch – as his promoter Frank Warren keenly reminded everyone after the fight – and the 35-year-old suggested that will be his next move after the loss.
Usyk’s suspected broken jaw will certainly complicate matters. Turki Alalshikh had previously stated he wanted to see the rematch before the end of 2024 so Anthony Joshua could face the winner in the first quarter of 2025.
By the time the rematch takes place, Usyk might not even be undisputed champion.
The IBF is expected to issue a mandatory challenger for the belts. Should Usyk opt not to face them – widely expected to be Daniel Dubois and Filip Hrgovic – he will vacate that belt.
