UFC veteran Michael Bisping is urging Oleksandr ‘The Cat’ Usyk to KO Tyson Fury in their rematch so the fight doesn’t go to the judge’s scorecard. “Don’t leave it to the judges,” Bisping warned, pointing to the many controversial scorecards that have plagued boxing.
Despite Usyk’s dominant decision win in their first fight, Bisping thinks it’s too risky to rely on the same outcome again. Judging issues in combat sports as a whole have been a hot topic, and Bisping’s advice reflects the growing frustration among fighters and fans.
He believes Usyk, with his technical skills, will have to ‘destroy‘ Fury to win.
“He’s gonna have to either knock him out or dominate him from start to finish…”
‘The Cat‘ actually came close to finishing Fury in their last fight. However, the referee stepped in and saved Fury while he was on the ropes. But Usyk cannot allow that to happen again.
Bisping pointed to infamous examples like the controversial Lennox Lewis vs. Evander Holyfield fight, where Lewis dominated but still walked away with a shocking draw.
Eury’s fight with Francis Ngannou earlier this year saw the former UFC champion put a beating on the boxer and knock him down but still somehow losing by decision. There are still legions who believe Ngannou should have walked away as the winner of that fight.
The latest example of dodgy scorecards came from the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson card.
Fans cry foul at scorecards for Paul vs Tyson card
It literally took two fights for boxing fans to start questioning the judging at the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson event in Arlington, Texas.
In a short-notice bout, Italian underdog Armando Casamonica stepped in to face Canada’s Lucas Bahdi. Despite coming in as a +590 betting underdog, Casamonica seemed to dominate the latter rounds with heavy combinations.
But when the final scores came in—95-95, 96-93, and 98-92 for Bahdi—fans were livid. Even the commentary team voiced their disbelief, claiming that the decision was inconsistent with what they saw in the ring. Social media erupted, with cries of daylight robbery!
Even Katie Taylor’s unanimous decision win against Amanda Serrano, which saw her retain the super lightweight title came under intense scrutiny. The referee took a point off Taylor for initiating clinches that resulted in head butts, but in the end, she still won the fight 95-94!
SERRANO LANDED MORE PUNCHES AND WAS MORE ACCURATE !! AND TAYLOR LOST A POINT !!! AND SOMEHOW SERRANO LOST ?!!!!!! BULLSHIT !!!!!! pic.twitter.com/h7HkBrRAx7
— motivate 4 life (@imotivate4life) November 16, 2024
These are only a few examples from just one event from just this year. So, Usyk better bring his A-game and finish off Fury.
