Frank Warren walks back robbery claim, but still thinks Tyson Fury beat Oleksandr Usyk in rematch
Frank Warren is changing his tune on the judging of the Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury heavyweight championship rematch.
Warren, promoter of Fury, made headlines following Saturday’s rematch between Usyk and Fury in Saudi Arabia due to his bold post-fight claims. Warren said that the British star had been “robbed” in his decision loss to Usyk. Now, a few days later, Warren still stands by who he saw winning that night in Riyadh, but admits it was much closer than he initially thought.
“I thought it was a closer fight on TV than what I’ve seen there, but I still think Tyson just won it,” Warren told Seconds Out. “Not nicked it, I think it was a close fight, and that’s how I scored it.
“I don’t change my mind about the judge’s scorecards, which was my beef. I wasn’t moaning about the result of the fight, I was moaning about the way they scored it. I don’t see how one judge didn’t give Tyson a single round for the last seven rounds, that is impossible. I watched that back, and I’ve been around a long time, and I’ve seen it and I don’t know how he got it. Usyk didn’t win the last seven rounds of that fight, that’s for sure.”
Usyk, who had beaten Fury in a split decision back in May, lost once again to the Ukranian, but this time by unanimous decision, which read 116-112 across all judges’ scorecards.
Warren thinks no matter what happens, Fury and Usyk will always be competitive, with the decision being able to sway either way.
“These two are always going to have a close fight,” Warren said. “The last one was a close fight. That’s their style. That’s how their styles are. I remember years ago when Ken Norton and (Muhammad) Ali. You watch that fight, and you know, it was what it was. Tyson and Usyk are magnificent fighters, they’re brilliant heavyweights, they will always have a good fight. There’s no doubt about that.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Usyk vs. Fury 2.