"Don’t be surprised if Saturday’s controversial” - Eddie Hearn weighs in on AI judging for Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury rematch

Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury are set to clash on Dec. 21 in a highly anticipated heavyweight title fight. It will be a rematch of their bout in May, where 'The Cat' secured a split decision win. That result caused controversy, with some fans and pundits stating that Fury should have been awarded the victory.

The man in charge of scheduling the heavyweight title fight, Turki Alalshikh, has revealed that an AI-powered judging system will be introduced for Usyk vs. Fury 2. Alalshikh stated that the new scoring system would be "free from human error." The AI-judge will not, however, contribute to the official scorecards for the fight on this occasion.

Instead, it will provide a seemingly objective scorecard of the bout which could be used in comparison to the judges' scorecards. Leading boxing promoter Eddie Hearn recently shared his thoughts on the use of an AI-powered scoring system for the bout during an interview for his Matchroom Boxing.

The Englishman said:

"Anything we can do to evolve, anything we can do to improve scoring... I'm guessing it's in relation to some CompuBox stats or some sensory stats. But you can bet your life that if [Turki Alalshikh] is behind it, it's not gonna just be some geeza tapping a button."

He continued:

"I think it will be interesting to see the difference. Don't be surprised if Saturday's controversial. Any close fight, let's hope the judging is bang on."

Catch Hearn's comments on Oleksandr Usyk vs. Fury AI-judging below (20:20):

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Tyson Fury shares cold prediction for rematch with Oleksandr Usyk

Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk clashed in May for the chance to become an undisputed heavyweight champion - the first since Lennox Lewis in 1999. After a competitive 12 rounds, the Ukrainian saw his hand raised and was awarded a decision win.

A rematch was set for Dec. 21, and with just days until the pair clash for a second time, 'The Gypsy King' has shared a chilling preview for his second fight with Usyk.

During a recent interview with TNT Sports, the former WBC champion said:

"My mission is to smash this f**ker's face right in on Saturday night. There's no chance he can beat me... I ain't got a cut this time that I'm nursing... I can do everything now. I've never been as confident in my life of smashing a f**ker's face in that I am of doing him on Saturday... I beat him last time, on a half mast... What I'm gonna do to him, he won't want a trilogy." [7:50-10:05]

Catch Tyson Fury's preview for Oleksandr Usyk below: