Steward: Usyk Fight Turned In 9th Round – ‘It Was A Close Fight’

October 30, 2024
4 months
Steward: Usyk Fight Turned In 9th Round - 'It Was A Close Fight'

SugarHill Steward has downplayed Tyson Fury’s defeat against Oleksandr Usyk, stating that the ninth round changed everything. 

Usyk gave Fury the first defeat of his professional career, as he won a split decision to become the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion. However, the result suggested that it was a close fight. But looking back, Usyk was the clear winner. He was dominant in the earlier parts of the fight whilst also finishing much stronger, with Fury having good moments in the middle rounds.

The turning point came in the ninth round when Usyk landed a big left hand to rock the Gypsy king. He followed that up with more combinations. Fury was bouncing around the ropes, looking like he would get stopped. When Usyk was ready to land the finishing blow, the referee intervened to give a standing eight count. Fury walked forward towards the referee. But there were suggestions that he did not react fast enough, with many feeling that the fight should have been stopped.

Steward Reacts

In his post-fight comments, Fury was adamant that he won the fight, stating that Usyk only got the decision because of Russia’s war with Ukraine. Even after rewatching the fight, Fury felt he was a much better fighter. Hill Steward has confirmed those comments to some degree by saying that the ninth round was why the fight shifted. 

“He got caught. That’s what went wrong. He got caught in the ninth round. What more am I supposed to say? In the ninth round, he got caught. It was a close fight already. He got caught, and Usyk wins. What else is there to talk about? It’s called a close fight.

“If it’s a close fight, how can anybody in the world score it for one person or another? How can you be so adamant about, ‘I won’ or, ‘I didn’t win,’ or the other person won or didn’t win if it was that close? It’s close. If it’s a close fight, guess what? You get three decisions. Either you won, you drew, or you lost. It’s as simple as that,” Steward said 

Other Reasons

Nevertheless, it is important to remember the following. Fury’s camp came under fire for several reasons. His corner was criticized, with suggestions that there were too many voices. Steward was joined by Fury’s coach, Andy Lee, and Fury’s father, John Fury. All three were heard speaking, with suggestions that there were conflicting instructions. Tyson stated in his comments after the fight that he would have pressed the action if he knew he was behind in the fight. John Fury also caused a stir during fight week when he headbutted a member of team Usyk.

That simply added unnecessary attention to Fury’s camp. It also suggested that Team Fury was unnerved and unsettled as they knew they were potentially facing one of their toughest opponents. Fury’s game plan also was criticized after he chose to box on the back foot. Fury had around a 40-pound weight advantage and a seven-inch reach advantage.

Yet, he chose not to utilize those assets and waited for Usyk to come to him. That simply allowed the Ukrainian to get into a rhythm as he outboxed Fury to become a two-weight undisputed champion. Things will have to change in the rematch if Fury wants to come up victorious. Steward will play a part in implementing a game plan for that. 

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