TYSON FURY was saved from a brutal knockout loss thanks to a "bizarre" refereeing decision. The Gypsy King came up short in his bid to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion since fellow Brit Lennox Lewis in his long-overdue Saudi straightener with Oleksandr Usyk . Fury, 35, suffered a split decision loss to the former pound-for-pound king in a Riyadh rumble that will live long in the memory.
The Wythenshawe warrior looked to be cruising to a points victory before he was rocked by a huge left hand in the final minute of the ninth round. Fury was pinged around the ring in the final seconds of the stanza and was seemingly saved from a knockout loss by referee Mark Nelson , who stunningly intervened to give him a standing count. The decision to stop Usyk from landing a potentially fatal blow didn't go unnoticed by boxing fans, including the champ's former foe Tony Bellew .
During an appearance on Good Morning Britain , the former WBC cruiserweight titleholder said: "I thought Oleksandr Usyk was a worthy winner. "I thought in that ninth round, Tyson Fury does amazingly to stabilise himself. "But it was a bizarre incident in that it actually shouldn't have been a count.
"Tyson Fury is still standing and Oleksandr Usyk should still be allowed to throw punches." BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKER S Victory over Fury saw Usyk become a two-weight undisputed world champion in only his 22nd professional fight. The Ukrainian now has a serious claim to be the pound-fo.