Oleksandr Usyk has reignited the ongoing feud with John Fury by posting a cheeky jab on social media. After clinching a split-decision victory over Tyson Fury, Usyk uploaded a picture showing the WBC heavyweight world title belt resting on Stanislav Stepchuk’s shoulder—the same team member John Fury had previously headbutted.
Usyk made history by becoming the first undisputed heavyweight champion since 1999 following his win against Fury. The nail-biting match was decided by the judges, with scores of 115-112 and 114-113 favoring Usyk, while one judge scored it 114-113 for Fury.
Celebrating his monumental victory, Usyk took to social media to share a photo of Stepchuk flaunting the WBC belt, which many fans interpreted as a subtle dig at John Fury. Comments flooded in, with one user on X remarking, “Stanislav got the last laugh,” and another pointing out, “The guy that beat John Fury without doing anything.”
The tension between Usyk and Fury’s camps had escalated prior to their showdown, culminating in a heated altercation where John Fury headbutted Stepchuk, leaving him with a minor forehead injury.
John Fury, after the incident, issued an apology acknowledging his overreaction. “Sincere apologies to everybody involved. It’s just the way we are,” he admitted.
Caught off guard by John’s aggressive response, Stepchuk, who sustained a minor cut above his eye, explained to Seconds Out: “I was just supporting my team and shouting Usyk. I didn’t touch him [John]; he just lost it.
“If just hearing Usyk’s name gets him so angry, what will happen in five days?” Stepchuk pondered. “He seems to think that there’s disrespect in just shouting Usyk’s name, so maybe he’s a bit unhinged.”
Following the bout, John faced criticism from numerous fans online who blamed his inadequate coaching for Fury’s loss. While coaching his son during the crucial moments between Rounds 11 and 12, he stressed the importance of precision, declaring: “One round to undisputed.”
Later, Fury insisted that his team had wrongly led him to believe he’d done enough to secure victory in the 12-round bout. “It was a close fight, but I thought I did enough,” he expressed at the post-fight press conference.
“I’m not a judge and I can’t judge a fight while I’m boxing it. If they’d said to me before the last round that I was down, I would have gone and tried to finish it, but everyone in the corner believed we were up. All I had to do was just keep boxing and keep doing what I was doing, and I was getting it.”
