Undefeated boxer reacts to Tyson Fury kissing Oleksandr Usyk's head right after the end of their rematch
Following the conclusion of the Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury rematch, the Ukrainian legend, who emerged victorious via unanimous decision, dropped to his knees in prayer. Fury approached him from behind, planting a kiss on top of his head in a gesture that has drawn the attention of Emiliano Vargas.
ESPN Ringside took to Instagram with pictures of the heartfelt moment, which was widely praised by many throughout the combat sports world. Among those who approved of Fury's gesture was Vargas, an undefeated lightweight boxing prospect known for his thunderous punching power.
He popped up in the comment section of the post, though didn't pen a statement. Instead, he showcased his approval of Fury's gesture with his choice of emoji. Both Usyk and Fury had a highly competitive bout, much like their first affair was. Unfortunately for the Englishman, Usyk emerged victorious again.
However, Fury was left incensed by the judges, slamming them just as he had in their first fight, refusing to accept the loss. Regardless, he is now on the first losing streak of his career, with little prospects in the way of another heavyweight title fight besides possibly challenging the winner of Daniel Dubois vs. Joseph Parker.
The aforementioned matchup will compete for the IBF heavyweight title on Feb. 22, 2025, and it is the only title in the division that doesn't belong to Usyk, as the Ukrainian vacated it sometime ago. If not that, then Fury's only other recourse may be a big money all-British heavyweight clash with Anthony Joshua.
Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury wasn't the only fight in 2024 to feature a kiss between opponents
While Tyson Fury kissing Oleksandr Usyk's head was done out of respect, this isn't always the case. In fact, in a sister sport of boxing, MMA, a different incident took place. At Noche UFC 306, Sean O'Malley failed to defend his bantamweight title against Merab Dvalishvili, who kissed him on his upper-back or neck.
Check out Merab Dvalishvili kissing Sean O'Malley:
The moment occured toward the end of round two, with Dvalishvili working on a front choke. To, in his words, assert dominance, he kissed the back of O'Malley's neck several times.
In the end, he won the bout via unanimous decision after completely dominating the fight with his wrestling and physicality.