Tyson Fury's former legendary opponent showers Oleksandr Usyk with praise following his win in the rematch: "Ukraine is fortunate to have you"

Tyson Fury suffered a second consecutive defeat to Oleksandr Usyk when the pair clashed on Dec. 21. Having narrowly lost to 'The Cat' in May via split-decision, Fury was hoping to return the favor by handing the Ukrainian his first-ever defeat when they faced off in the rematch.

But Usyk proved himself to be arguably the best boxer of this generation as he secured a unanimous decision victory, much to the delight of former opponent of 'The Gypsy King', Wladimir Klitschko.

Klitschko and Fury faced off in 2015 where the Brit was awarded a unanimous decision victory to become a world champion for the first time in his career.

Following Usyk's recent victory over the 36-year-old, the retired former champion took to Instagram to share immense praise with his fellow countryman. He wrote:

"Congratulations champion! Ukraine is fortunate to have you. You’re a true standard-bearer of our resilience. Slava Ukraini!"

Check out Wladimir Klitschko's post below:

Prior to the heavyweight rematch between Usyk and Fury, there were rumors of Klitschko's return from retirement, with a potential rematch with 'The Gypsy King' being discussed, much to the frustration of fans.

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Tyson Fury believes Oleksandr Usyk was "gifted" win by judges in rematch

Tyson Fury was left with feelings of frustration following a second defeat to Oleksandr Usyk in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The former WBC champion was hoping to dish out the beating of a lifetime when the pair clashed for a second time. However, the Ukrainian continued to prove why he is likely the best boxer of this generation, as he found a way to win.

All three judges scored the contest 116-112, with those scorecards having come under much scrutiny since the result.

Fury, as well as his promoter Frank Warren, appeared in front of the media at the post-fight press conference where the Brit slammed the judges scoring of the fight. He said:

"I thought I won both fights, but then again I've gone home with two losses on my record now. There's not much I can do about it... I'll always believe, until the day I die, that I won that fight." [0:33-0:45]

He continued:

"I felt a little bit of Christmas spirit in there and I think [Usyk] got a little Christmas gift from those judges." [4:00-4:05]

Check out Tyson Fury's comments below (0:30):