After taking first loss, Tyson Fury suggests judges favored Ukrainian foe

Tyson Fury, who suffered the first loss of his career Sunday, suggested that the panel judging his heavyweight title bout against Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk was “siding with the country at war.”

In an underdog performance that made Usyk (22-0) the first undisputed heavyweight boxing champion in 24 years and earned praise from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and others in the country, the 37-year-old southpaw was awarded a split-decision victory. Two judges at the bout in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, scored it for Usyk, 115-112 and 114-113, while the third gave Fury (34-1-1) the nod by a 114-113 margin.