In a candid outburst following his recent bout with Oleksandr Usyk in Saudi Arabia, heavyweight boxer Tyson Fury expressed strong opinions about artificial intelligence’s role in sports judging.
The controversial reaction came after an AI judge, part of what promoter Turki Alalshikh called a “groundbreaking experiment,” scored the match 118-112 in Usyk’s favor – an even wider margin than the human judges’ unanimous 116-112 scorecards.
“Here’s one. F*** all the computers. Keep the humans going. More jobs for humans, less jobs for computers. And f*** electric cars too while we’re at it,” Fury declared when informed of the AI scoring.
The experimental AI judge was introduced before the match as an attempt to revolutionize boxing scoring. “For the first time ever, an AI-powered judge will monitor the fight,” Alalshikh had announced. “Free from bias and human error brought to you by The Ring.”
Fury, who believed he had won the contest, was equally dismissive of both technological and human judging. “I swear to God, I thought I won by three rounds!” he told Sky Sports. “The judges gave him a Christmas gift,” he later added at a press conference.
The British boxer maintained his position throughout post-match discussions. “I feel like I won both fights. I know I had to knock him out but it’s boxing and this happens. There is no doubt in my mind I won this fight,” he stated.
Usyk retained his WBA, WBO, and WBC belts in the contest, which saw Fury exit the ring immediately after the decision was announced.
“I’m not going to cry over spilt milk, it’s over now,” Fury concluded, while adding, “I’ll always feel a little bit hard done by – not a little bit, a lot.”
