Okeksandr Usyk definitely belongs.
The former undisputed cruiserweight champ, fighting at heavyweight for the second time, withstood almost-constant pressure to outbox and outwork Derek Chisora en route to a unanimous-decision victory Saturday at Wembley Arena in London.
The scores were 117-112, 115-113 and 115-113, which allowed Usyk to retain his WBO mandatory status. Boxing Junkie scored it 117-111 for Usyk.
“You know, it’s really a test at heavyweight, [fighting] a big guy, a hard guy,” Usyk said through a translator afterward.
Chisora (32-10, 23 KOs) attacked Usyk (18-0, 13 KOs) from the opening bell, obviously trying to impose his 38½-pound weight advantage and generally testing the notion that Usyk is too small for a big, capable heavyweight.
The Londoner forced Usyk into a sort of survival mode in the first few rounds and landed some eye-catching shots, which the Ukrainian took in stride. These were intense rounds, in which many probably feared for Usyk,
However, by the third round, Usyk settled into a stick-and-move mode that would carry him though the rest of the fight. Chisora continued to pursue his prey – sometimes chasing him around the ring – but the quicker, clicker Usyk used his feet to stay out of trouble and pecked away at his opponent with stinging shots.
Usyk seemed to take full control of the fight by Round 7, when Chisora appeared to be tiring and Usyk was in a groove. Late in that round Usyk landed a number of hard, accurate punches, which seemed to open the door to a knockout.
Chisora (32-10, 23 KOs) had more to give, though. In Round 9 he was back in attack mode and Usyk (18-0, 13 KOs) was back pedaling, although the winner continue to poke away at the loser as he charged toward him. Chisora acquitted himself well in Rounds 9, 10 and 11 while Usyk appeared to win the final round.
The result wasn’t surprising, as all three judges gave the victory to Usyk. The 115-113 scores – seven rounds to five – might be seen as too close by some observers.
Chisora was crushed by the result. The 36-year-old had worked hard in training camp, which was obvious given his effectiveness late in the fight. And he thought he did enough to earn the decision.
“I’m just disappointed,” he said. “Do you think you won that fight?” he was asked. “Yeah, 100 percent,” he said. “I was pushing the pace. I gave a couple of rounds away but I was pushing the pace. But the judges saw it a different way.”
He went on: “In the heavyweight game you have to fight, not box. I’m setting the pace, he’s not setting the pace. … He caught me with some good shots, not like painful shots. But you know what? It’s boxing. There has to be one loser and one winner.
“I’m just pissed off. You don’t understand. I did work hard for this fight.”
Meanwhile, Usyk was asked what grade he would give himself – 1 to 10 – and whether he believes he proved that he can fight at a high level at heavyweight. He gave himself a 3, which evidently revealed his lofty standards, and said it’s not up to him to determine whether he’s a legitimate threat to the likes of Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
“I don’t know,” he said. “It’s a question for the fans and experts.”
Fury, the WBC titleholder, is scheduled to fight on Dec. 5, although he doesn’t have an opponent yet. Joshua, who holds the IBF, WBA and WBO belts, defends against Kubrat Pulev a week later. If Fury and Joshua win, they intend to fight one another next year.
It’s unclear how Usyk will fit in. The two most obvious scenarios: He’ll either challenge Joshua or Joshua will give up the WBO belt to fight Fury. Usyk said his plan now is to go home and spend time with his family, meaning we’ll all have to wait and see.
He did make one thing clear, though: He said he still believes he can emerge as the best heavyweight in the world when asked whether that remains his objective.
“Undisputed heavyweight champion,” he said. “Not just world champ … undisputed heavyweight champion.”
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