Oleksandr Usyk pictures from after Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua fights speak volumes
Oleksandr Usyk has overcome the two greatest British heavyweights of his era in Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, but one boxer managed to inflict more damage
Oleksandr Usyk’s battered face after beating Tyson Fury was a stark contrast to the minimal damage suffered when facing Anthony Joshua the second time around. The Ukrainian took to social media on Tuesday to show the injuries inflicted to his face when he became the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world against Fury on Saturday night.
Usyk is the first person to achieve the feat since Lennox Lewis managed it in 1999, handing the Gypsy King the first loss of his professional career in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The Kiev-born boxer won through split decision as the judges scored the fight 115-112, 114-113 and 113-114 in his favour, helped by a brutal knockdown in the ninth round.
Yet victory came at a cost for ‘The Cat’, having taken a beating himself over the course of 12 rounds. The 37-year-old’s selfie showed him carrying heavy bruising on his cheekbones and under his eyes, along with a gash above his right eye.
His knuckles also bore nasty cuts even though several days had passed since the bout. Fury claimed his opponent had even been hospitalised with a broken jaw immediately after, though that was dismissed by Usyk’s promoter Alex Krassyuk.
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Yet the physical toll of facing Fury was notably more visible after his second win over British heavyweight Joshua. Photos of Usyk from the press conference straight after the AJ fight back in August 2022 showed him nursing considerably less bruising, except for under one of his eyes.
It was the second time Usyk had sealed a win over Joshua. Their first bout in September 2021 ended in a unanimous decision win for Usyk, stripping AJ of his titles, though he did pick up significant facial injuries in the process.
Fury and Usyk are set to clash again in Saudi Arabia this October, where Fury will attempt to avenge his only defeat. The victor is expected to face Joshua in early 2025, though a decision by Usyk to retire could pave the way for a long-awaited clash between the two former British champions.