Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk have both returned clean drug tests following their heavyweight clash, as confirmed by WADA’s routine post-fight screening.
The pair faced off in Saudi Arabia, with Usyk emerging victorious to become the unified heavyweight champion. Following standard procedure, WADA conducted tests on both fighters, who passed without any issues.
Usyk has now completed an impressive transition from cruiserweight to heavyweight, having previously defeated Anthony Joshua twice before handing Fury his first professional loss via a points decision.
A rematch between Fury and Usyk has been announced for December 21 by Turki Alalshikh, who expressed his excitement on social media: “The world will watch another historical fight again,” he posted. “Our commitment to boxing fans continues. We hope you enjoy it.”
While Alalshikh did not specify a venue for the rematch, he mentioned that it would occur “during Riyadh Season”, an annual entertainment festival that began in 2019 and has since hosted several major boxing events, reports the Mirror.
Usyk expressed his gratitude and joy following the match, stating: “Thank you so much for my team. It’s a big opportunity for my family, for my country. I’m very happy. My people will be very happy I think, it’s a big win, not only for me, it’s a big win for my country, for soldiers who now defend my country. I think my father now is watching over me and is very happy. Dad, I love you. I can, you told me I can.”
However, Fury disagreed with the judges’ decision, firmly believing in his own victory: “I believe I won that fight. I believe he won a few rounds but I won more of them.”
He continued, undeterred by the outcome: “Make no mistake I won that fight and I’ll be back. We go back to our families and we run it back in October. I’m not going to sit here and cry and make excuses.”
Krassyuk, Usyk’s promoter, was open to the idea of a rematch, saying: “Yeah of course. I am ready for rematch,” and sharing his experience of the fight: “I’m exhausted, I was backing Usyk the whole fight. No disrespect to the referee, I think he stopped the KO in the ninth. It was a tremendous performance, something unbelievable. I hope to see more in the rematch.”
