Tyson Fury caused a stir when he declared that Oleksandr Usyk won “because his country (Ukraine) is at war”.

The British boxer suffered a painful defeat in the unification match of the global heavyweight championships in Saudi Arabia, with a split decision from three judges: two judges scored 115-113 and 114- 113 in favor of Usyk, while the remaining judges scored Fury 114-113.

Fury later asserted: “I believe I won that fight. And I believe he won a few rounds, but I won the majority of the rounds. We both gave the best match possible. And, you know, his country is at war. Everyone is siding with the country at war.”

The fight marked a historic night for boxing’s heavyweight division, as Usyk was named the first undisputed champion of the four-belt era, and the first since Lennox Lewis fought defeated Evander Holyfield in 1999. This was a tense fight between two heavyweights, with Fury seemingly dominating the early rounds before Usyk fought back late, knocking the Briton down in the ninth round.

After the fight, both fighters showed respect for each other, with Fury putting his arm around Usyk’s shoulder in the ring. Usyk raised the Ukrainian flag after the match and thanked his team for helping him succeed.

“Thank you so much to my team. This is a great opportunity for my family, for me, for my country. This is a wonderful moment, a wonderful day. Yes, of course. I’m ready for the rematch.”

In an exclusive interview with Mail Sport, Usyk shared that he wanted to give back to those who have suffered from the war in his homeland. His charity, the Usyk Foundation, has launched a major fundraising campaign to raise 1 million Euros to buy 50 ambulances to save the lives of Ukrainians amid the ongoing conflict with Russia.

Usyk said he had received a lot of support from around the world ahead of the undisputed fight. “Those words inspire and motivate me,” he said. Fury and Usyk are expected to fight again this October. Fury said he is looking forward to this rematch and hopes to have the opportunity to prove he is the real champion.

“We will return to our families and I will see him again in October. We will return, rest,” Fury said.