Six referees and VAR. WBC wants to implement rule changes before Usyk and Fury rematch

A little over a month ago, on May 18, the fight for the undisputed world heavyweight champion title between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury took place. The Ukrainian emerged victorious, and the Gypsy King exercised his right to an immediate rematch, scheduled for December 21.

Ahead of the second mega-fight, World Boxing Council (WBC) president Mauricio Sulaiman wants the use of instant video replay during the bout. This technology has been employed by the WBC since 2008, but it cannot be used in fights where titles from other organizations are at stake. If a decision were overturned by the WBC using video replay, the IBF, WBA, and WBO would likely not recognize this decision, leading to confusion.

Before the first Usyk-Fury fight, the WBC demanded permission to use video replay. After much deliberation, they were eventually allowed to review footage during and after the fight, although the three other major organizations (IBF, WBA, and WBO) preferred not to use it.

To prevent this issue in the rematch on December 21, Sulaiman and the WBC insist that all organizations involved in the fight recognize video replay.

Speaking with talkSPORT, the WBC president said:

"Video replay is a rule that the WBC has adhered to for the past several years. But there is a complex situation with the British Boxing Board of Control, as they do not approve its use.

During the rules meeting for the last fight between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, we demanded that video replay be used for the WBC.

We will pursue this for the Usyk-Fury rematch and in every fight we are involved in."

Additionally, the WBC wants to introduce another significant change for the Usyk-Fury rematch. They insist on having six judges instead of the usual three. According to Sulaiman, this would reduce the likelihood of a controversial decision. The WBC president advocated for this change before the first fight, but without success.