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Boxing News: WBC President Files Petition to Trial New Judging System for Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk Fight

Published 03/15/2024, 9:17 AM EDT

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The heavyweight division hasn’t witnessed such anticipation in decades. Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk are finally set to collide. The undisputed championship, a crown that’s eluded boxing for nearly a quarter-century, hangs in the balance. A controversial decision could shatter this dream match. WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman recognizes the danger.

Sulaiman is pushing for a new judging system, a safeguard against inaccurate scores that could “kill boxing“. This fight isn’t just about crowning a champion, it’s about protecting the future of the sport itself. So, keeping all of these things in mind, the WBC president has decided to try a new way of judging the fight, that would minimize the discrepancy in the result.

Mauricio Sulaiman has already written to WBA, IBF, and WBO

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WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman is pushing a radical change – a six-judge panel. This comes after a few previous controversial decisions left a bitter taste in fans’ mouths. Recently, a featherweight title fight saw a champion retain his belt despite clear knockdowns by the challenger. Sulaiman fears such judging flaws could be detrimental to the sport of boxing.

Sulaiman said, “What we saw last week in Saudi Arabia was another example of how fragile officiating worldwide continues to be. We saw one judge have it one way big and another judge having the other guy winning. Controversy like that in the Fury-Usyk fight will kill boxing.” For this reason, Sulaiman has proposed more eyes on the action. Six judges, instead of the usual three, would score the Fury-Usyk fight, aiming to dilute the impact of a single bad scorecard. He said he has also distributed emergency petitions to other organizing bodies like WBA, IBF, and WBO to ensure that this change is brought into action by the time the Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk fight hits the floors on May 18th.

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But will the boxing world embrace this change? Sulaiman himself admits it’s an uphill battle. Tradition runs deep, and his past suggestions have met “lots of resistance.” Now it remains to be seen if the board sanctions his request or not. However, these judges will only prove to be useful, if the fight goes to the decision. And after the postponement, Fury has predicted to deliver a stoppage in under seven rounds.

Tyson Fury thinks he can take out Usyk in under seven rounds

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As usual, Tyson Fury doesn’t shy away from throwing shade at his opponent. Fury remains undefeated in the mind game, refusing to crown Usyk his toughest test yet. “Styles make fights,” he warns, downplaying Usyk’s heavyweight experience. Fury acknowledges Usyk’s wins but questions his level, hinting he hasn’t been challenged. Will Usyk prove his doubters wrong? A victory earns respect and a handshake from the champion.

But a loss? Fury shrugs, ready to move on to the next challenge. The stage is set, and the trash talk is flying. Fury said, “He does what he’s got to do, he’s got his wins, he gets paid, he gets the job done and goes home. That’s what it’s about. Is he good enough to beat the ‘Gypsy King’? I don’t think so, but good luck to him. If he is, he is. If he is, I’ll shake his hand. If he’s not, yet again I roll on to another one.” After all these humble remarks, he mentioned, “I think I’ll take him out inside seven rounds.

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Now this too remains to be seen how it goes down. Will the fight have a decision with six judges or will it end in a knockout? What are your thoughts about this? Tell us in the comments section.

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Written by:

Chirag Radhyan

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Chirag Radhyan is a senior boxing writer at EssentiallySports. Having authored close to 2K articles, he is a live-coverage specialist, contributing to the detailed reportage of live boxing events ranging from the Jermell Charlo vs Canelo Alvarez bout to Ryan Garcia vs Gervonta Davis. Moreover, his coverage of the off-court drama between Jake Paul and Tommy Fury received widespread appreciation from readers.
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Edited by:

Gokul Pillai