Oleksandr Usyk footage shows what he was given after seventh round following allegation
Oleksandr Usyk was seen 'kissing a cross' during the intervals of his undisputed fight against Tyson Fury.
Usyk triumphed over Fury in a split decision, becoming the first undisputed heavyweight world champion in 25 years following their high-profile bout. Despite Fury's strong start, Usyk took control in the latter half of the match.
A key moment occurred after the seventh round when Usyk, a devout Christian, returned to his corner. A member of his team handed him a cross, which he kissed before commencing the next round.
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This seemed to invigorate Usyk, who then managed to hurt Fury in the eighth round and nearly knocked him out in the ninth.
While some spectators accused Usyk of 'using an inhaler', the majority were quick to clarify that he was actually kissing a cross. "You must have not watched Usyk fight before, he kisses his cross in between rounds," one user commented, reports the Mirror.
"Kissing a cross, he went up the gears after this," another added. A final comment read: "You can clearly see he was kissing a cross."
Oleksandr Usyk, the Ukrainian boxing champion, will have to enter the ring with Tyson Fury once more in October due to a two-way rematch clause included in their undisputed clash agreement. The emotional toll of the fight was evident when Usyk, overwhelmed by emotion, spoke about his late father who died just days after Usyk's gold medal victory at the 2012 London Olympics.
"I miss my father," he confessed. "I said to my father 'Hey, listen. You live there, I live here.'".
"Please, no coming for me. I love you. For me it's hard when my father is coming for me because I remember all my life, I know he's here."
Usyk expressed reluctance to discuss the upcoming rematch with Fury, having dedicated nine months to training for their initial bout. "My start was October 2023, November, December. Nine months I work," he revealed.
"I missed New Year. I missed the birthday of my son, I missed the birthday of my other son. I missed the birthday of my daughter, I missed the birth of my daughter. I missed all of my family holidays, all the time training. My focus was only this fight, now I'm happy. I want to go back home," Usyk shared, reflecting on the personal sacrifices made for his career.