This past Saturday, the Oleksandr Usyk vs Tyson Fury 2 fight card was marred by judging controversy from start to finish. Following his first career loss in May, Tyson Fury demanded an immediate rematch with Oleksandr Usyk, which was granted. However, the Brit suffered another defeat. This is due to all three judges scoring the fight 116-112 in favour of the Ukrainian champion, Usyk. Turki Alalshikh has now broken his silence and has talked about the decisions. This is on both Tyson Fury and Johnny Fisher’s fights.
Turki Alalshikh Breaks Silence on Usyk vs Fury Decision and Fisher vs Allen Controversy
Despite the consensus that Usyk did enough to stay undefeated, Tyson Fury felt the decision was unfair and, immediately after the fight, stated that he believed he won by at least three rounds.
Before the main event, another highly controversial decision occurred in the fight between Johnny Fisher and Dave Allen. Fisher was awarded a split decision victory and the WBA Intercontinental Heavyweight Title. This is even though Fisher’s father admitted that he thought Allen had won.
A few days after the event, Saudi Boxing Cheif Turki Alalshikh spoke out on the matter when he said;
“I needed time to process what happened last night, and I will speak from my heart as a fan, not as a member of the Riyadh Season team,” Alalshikh explained in his statement.”
“In the Usyk vs Fury fight, I counted that Usyk had won 4 more rounds. That doesn’t mean Tyson performed badly—he gave everything. But let’s be honest, Usyk is one of the greatest boxers of this generation, and he’s proven it against big names.”
“Tyson holds a special place in my heart, and he’s one of the key reasons boxing is still preserving its legacy. Usyk told me he’s ready for any future fight. As for Tyson, I will respect his decision after he takes time to rest, and I will understand if he decides to retire.”
“Regarding the Fisher vs Allen fight, I counted it differently, but this is my personal opinion and should not be seen as a judgment,”
Fury Responds to AI Judge’s Scorecard After Usyk Fight: ‘Keep the Humans Going
In addition to the three official judges, a fourth scorecard was provided by an AI judge. While the AI’s scorecard was not part of the official decision, Turki Alashikh expressed excitement about its debut.
The AI’s scorecard, which was purely experimental, scored the fight in favour of Usyk with a 118-112 margin. This has drawn a frustrated reaction from Fury when he was asked about it after the fight. This was when Fury responded by saying;
“Here’s one, f*** all the computers, keep the humans going. More jobs for humans, less jobs for computers,”
It currently remains unclear whether Riyadh Season will continue using the AI judge in future events. However, the system will likely require adjustments, as it scored two rounds as 10-10 in the heavyweight title fight.
Featured image credits to Embed From Getty Images
