Last Saturday, the Oleksandr Usyk vs Tyson Fury 2 fight card was covered from top to bottom in judging controversy.
After losing for the first time in his career last May, Tyson Fury pushed for an immediate rematch against Oleksandr Usyk and got it last Saturday.
Unfortunately for the Brit, he suffered yet another defeat at the hands of the Ukrainian champion, with all three judges awarding him the 116-112 unanimous decision victory.
Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images
Turki Alalshikh comments on the fight between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury
Despite the consensus being that Usyk did enough to remain undefeated, Fury felt troubled by the decision and admitted immediately after the fight that he felt he had won the fight by at least three rounds.
Before the main event, there was an extremely controversial decision in the fight between Johnny Fisher and Dave Allen.
Fisher was awarded the split-decision victory and handed the WBA Inter Continental Heavyweight title, despite even Fisher's father admitting he thought Allen had won the fight.
Now days away from the event, Saudi Boxing chief Turki Alalshikh has broken his silence on the event.
“I needed time to realize what happened last night and I will speak from my heart as a fan, not as a person of the Riyadh season team,” Alalshikh began to explain in his statement.
“In the Usyk vs. Tyson fight I counted that Usyk had four rounds left… that doesn't mean Tyson performed poorly, no, he gave us everything, but let's be honest. Usyk is one of the greatest boxers of this generation and he has proven it with big names.
“Tyson plays a role in my heart and he is one of the important reasons that boxing still retains its legacy… Usyk told me he is ready to take on any fight in the future… about Tyson, I wait after he rests and takes his time (with) his decision and I will understand when he retires.
“I counted the Fisher vs. Allen fight differently and it is my own opinion, should not be considered a judgment,” he continued.
I needed time to realize what happened last night and I will speak from my heart as a fan, not as a person of the Riyadh season team… in the fight between Usyk and Tyson I counted that Usyk has four rounds left… that means not that Tyson performed poorly no no no he gave us…
— TURKI ALALSHIKH (@Turki_alalshikh) December 22, 2024
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Tyson Fury goes by the AI judge's scorecard
In addition to the three official judges who scored the fight, a fourth scorecard was also submitted by an AI judge. The AI judges' scorecard was obviously not part of the official decision, but Turki was excited to see how it worked in the first event.
Fortunately, the AI's card was only experimental as it scored the fight wide in Usyk's favor, 118-112, prompting a frustrated response from Fury when asked about it after the fight.
“Here's one: fuck all the computers, keep the people going. More jobs for people, fewer jobs for computers,” Fury said.
It is unclear if Riyadh Season will use the AI judge on their cards in the future, but it will likely need to be adjusted in the future as it scored two rounds of 10-10 in the heavyweight title fight.
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