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Fury vs Usyk: Will Usyk lose the undisputed title, and when is the rematch? | Boxing

Oleksandr Usyk rewrote history books by beating Tyson Fury to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the world in 25 years.

The Ukrainian won the 12-round fight by a split decision despite having cornered Fury into a near knockout in the ninth round as the who’s who of boxing, including the last undisputed champion Lennox Lewis, watched on at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Sunday.

[You can read our blow-by-blow account of the fight here.]

Here’s what happened after the fight and how boxing greats reacted:

Will Fury and Usyk have a rematch?

Immediately after the fight, Fury asked Usyk for a rematch and the champion did not decline the challenge.

“I have a rematch clause and I want it because I won that fight,” Fury said whilst still in the ring.

“We’ll go and rest up and fight again in October.”

Promoter Frank Warren also confirmed that the rematch is on.

“That’s what the contract says and if that’s what [Fury] wants, then it’s up to him,” Warren told the broadcasters.

It is unlikely that any October rematch would be for all four belts, as the International Boxing Federation (IBF) plans to strip Usyk if he does not face its mandatory challenger Filip Hrgovic next.

Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury meet in the ring after winning their fight [Andrew Couldridge/Action Images via Reuters]

Why will Usyk lose his title in two weeks?

Usyk’s reign as undisputed heavyweight world champion may last only weeks if, as many expect, the IBF takes back its belt due to the rematch clause with Fury.

The IBF’s longtime mandatory unbeaten challenger – Hrgovic, from Croatia – is scheduled to fight UK’s Daniel Dubois on June 1 in Riyadh.

That bout could become an IBF title fight if the US-based body follows past form, with the winner tipped to then go up against UK’s former champion Anthony Joshua later in the year.

Lewis was WBC, WBA, IBF and IBO champion until the WBA stripped him of its belt because he chose not to fight a mandatory challenger.

The IBF took away its belt in 2002 for similar reasons.

Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk [Andrew Couldridge/Action Images via Reuters]
Oleksandr Usyk celebrates with the belts after winning the fight to become the undisputed heavyweight world champion [Andrew Couldridge/Action Images via Reuters]

What did Usyk say after beating Fury?

“It is a big opportunity for me, for my family, for my country,” said Usyk, 37, who briefly served as a soldier after the Russian invasion.

“It’s a great time, a great day,” he said, adding that he was “ready for a rematch”.

Why did Fury think he deserved to win?

Fury called it a “fantastic fight with Oleksandr” but claimed that sympathy for Ukraine’s ongoing war with Russia swung the judges.

“I believe I won that fight, I believe he won a few of the rounds, but I won the majority of them,” he said.

“You know his country is at war, so people are siding with the country at war but make no mistake, I won that fight in my opinion and I will be back.”

Fury, however, said he would discuss the potential rematch with his wife and children.

“I’ll have a holiday, go home, put it to the wife and kids, I’ll see what I want to do,” he told reporters.

Tyson Fury speaks during his press conference after the fight [Andrew Couldridge/Action Images via Reuters]

How did boxing legends react?

Lewis, who brought the belts into the ring along with his former nemesis Evander Holyfield, said his compatriot Fury lost the fight because he fought like he had won it.

“Fury was boxing like he won the fight but you have to fight every round,” he said in his post-fight analysis.

“If a round is close, then it’s a loss and that’s the way he should have been thinking.”

Lewis said Usyk “tired Fury out”.

“He was getting in lots of punches. [Usyk] had focus all the way and had his fans cheering for him in the front row.

“Every time they cheered for him, his energy went up.”

Meanwhile, Usyk’s compatriot Wladimir Klitschko said Usyk’s win brought some respite to Ukrainians amidst the war.

“Usyk didn’t lose his potential and he believed it from the first round to the end of the fight.

“Just imagine that [Vladimir] Putin’s Russia is hitting us with drones and rockets. On the other hand, we had the opportunity for 45 minutes to believe in Usyk.”

Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk face off [Andrew Couldridge/Action Images via Reuters]

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Oleksandr Usyk beats Tyson Fury to become undisputed heavyweight champion | Boxing News

Ukraine’s Usyk beat UK’s’s Fury by split decision to become the first unifying title fighter since 1999.

Oleksandr Usyk beat Tyson Fury by scoring a razor-thin split decision to win the world’s first undisputed heavyweight championship in 25 years, an unprecedented feat in boxing’s four-belt era.

The United Kingdom’s Fury was the early aggressor but Usyk gradually took charge and the “Gypsy King” was saved by the bell in the ninth round before slumping to his first career defeat on Sunday.

“It’s a great time. It’s a great day,” Usyk said.

Ukraine’s Usyk joins the likes of Muhammad Ali, Joe Louis and Mike Tyson as the undisputed heavyweight champion, the first since boxing recognised four major belts in the 2000s.

With the win, the former undisputed cruiserweight champion can legitimately claim to be the best of this era, although a rematch expected in October could provide another twist.

Oleksandr Usyk celebrates with the belts after winning the fight to become the undisputed heavyweight world champion [Andrew Couldridge/Action Images via Reuters]

The UK’s Lennox Lewis was the last man to unify the heavyweight belts – three at the time – after beating Evander Holyfield in 1999.

Usyk got the better of the opening rounds before Fury hit his stride in the fourth, engaging in some showmanship as he started to catch Usyk with vicious body shots, but the Ukrainian battled back with several stinging reminders of his power.

Usyk turned the tide in the eighth round and few would have been surprised had the referee stopped the fight in the ninth as the Ukrainian’s powerful punches to the head left Fury reeling.

Usyk hurt Fury (34-1-1) with a left hand and eventually sent him sprawling into a corner in the final seconds of the round, getting credit for a knockdown right before Fury was saved by the bell. Fury struggled to mount a consistent attack after nearly getting stopped, and the knockdown turned out to be the decisive factor in the decision.

“Thank you so much to my team,” Usyk said while fighting back tears in the ring after the win.

“It’s a big opportunity for me, for my family, for my country. Slava Ukraini!”

Oleksandr Usyk celebrates [Andrew Couldridge/Action Images via Reuters]

Fury wants rematch

Fury kissed Usyk on the head after the final bell. Fury also said he wants the rematch in October.

“I believe I won that fight,” Fury said. “I believe he won a few of the rounds, but I won the majority of them, and I believe it was one of those what-can-you-do, one of them … decisions in boxing. We both put on a good fight, best we can do.

“You know, his country is at war, so people are siding with a country at war. But make no mistake, I won that fight, in my opinion, and I’ll be back. I’ve got a rematch clause.”

Usyk landed 41 percent of his 407 punches, while Fury landed just 31.7 percent of his 496 punches, according to CompuBox statistics. Usyk both threw (260 to 210) and landed (122 to 95) more power punches.

Usyk has now joined the elite club of fighters who held every major world championship belt at heavyweight – and he is the first to do it in the four-belt era, which began in 2007. The list of undisputed champions includes Jack Dempsey, Joe Louis, Floyd Patterson, Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier and Mike Tyson.

Tyson Fury with Oleksandr Usyk after losing their fight [Andrew Couldridge/Action Images via Reuters]

Stars line up at ring side

Wladimir Klitschko was among the legends watching along with Saudi-based football stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar.

Riyadh’s newly built, 22,000-capacity Kingdom Arena was packed when Usyk strode out for his ringwalk at 1:30am (22:30 GMT) wearing a green cossack coat and fur hat.

Fury followed, dancing to Barry White and Bonny Tyler’s “Holding out for a Hero” in a green sleeveless jacket and back-to-front baseball cap.

It set the stage for a clash of two fighters with impeccable pedigrees and very different approaches to the sport.

In the co-main event, Australia’s Jai Opetaia won a unanimous decision over Mairis Briedis of Latvia to win the vacant IBF cruiserweight title. Meanwhile, Ireland’s Anthony Cacace scored a TKO win over Joe Cordina of Wales to retain his IBO super-featherweight title and claim the IBF belt.

Anthony Joshua and Cristiano Ronaldo at of the fight [Andrew Couldridge/Action Images]

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Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk: Foul-mouthed Fury shoves Usyk at weigh-in | Boxing News

‘Forget his belts. I’m coming for his heart, he’s getting it tomorrow,’ Fury threatened in a brief bust-up with Usyk.

Tyson Fury shoved and swore at Oleksandr Usyk at the weigh-in as the build-up to their historic undisputed heavyweight clash exploded into life.

A shirtless Fury eyeballed the Ukrainian and then pushed him angrily, sparking a brief melee on stage, before hurling a series of swear words at his opponent on Friday.

“We’re ready to rock and roll, so fireworks tomorrow night. I’m going knock [him] spark out,” raged the 35-year-old Brit, drawing cheers from the crowd.

“I’m coming for his heart, that’s what I’m coming for. [Forget] his belts. I’m coming for his heart, he’s getting it tomorrow, spark out!”

Fury weighed in at 118.8 kilos (262 pounds), more than 6.8kg (15 pounds) lighter than his last outing, while Usyk was 105.9kg (233.5 pounds), significantly heavier than his customary 100.2kg (221 pounds).

Ukraine’s Usyk, when asked what he had said to Fury, replied: “Don’t be afraid, I won’t leave you tomorrow.”

He said he was able to remain so calm “because that’s my plan. If I’m nervous, I won’t win”.

Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk are both undefeated in their professional boxing careers. That streak will come to an end for one of these competitors on Saturday night in Riyadh [Andrew Couldridge/Reuters]

‘The fight we’ve been waiting for’

On Saturday, the two undefeated fighters will contest the first undisputed heavyweight clash since 1999, looking to walk away with all four major belts.

Promoter Frank Warren called it the “most important fight of the 21st century”.

“It’s the fight we’ve been waiting for – the two best heavyweights in the world, both undefeated,” he said on a sweltering Thursday evening.

“This is something special. Fights like [this] come along once in a generation.”

Opinions are split over the outcome, with some tipping the rangy, street-smart “Gypsy King” Fury and others backing the supreme skills and fitness of Usyk.

“Tyson Fury should win on points,” Lewis told the BBC. “The bigger guy has longer arms, great movement.”

However, Tony Bellew, Usyk’s final victim at cruiserweight, warned: “He is the purest and best boxer Fury will ever face in his life.”

“The guy is on another platform. There are boxers and then there is Usyk,” Bellew added.

The final build-up has been explosive at times, including when Fury’s father headbutted a member of Usyk’s entourage and was seen with blood streaming down his face.

However, both fighters were taciturn during the final news conference on Thursday, with Fury promising to pray for Usyk and the Ukrainian scribbling down a poem.

Fury tipped the scales at a bulky 125.9kg (277.7 pounds) against MMA convert Francis Ngannou in October, when he looked sluggish and was knocked down before winning a split decision.

The “Gypsy King” was 112kg (247 pounds) for his biggest victory to date, upsetting Wladimir Klitschko in 2015. His career-lightest weight was 111.3kg (245.5 pounds) for Vinny Maddalone in 2012.

Usyk, a former cruiserweight, had previously been remarkably consistent during his heavyweight career, weighing in at 100.2kg (221 pounds) for his 2021 and 2022 wins over Anthony Joshua, and 99.7kg (220 pounds) against Daniel Dubois last year.

Tales of his training are legendary, including 10-kilometre (6-mile) swims, four-minutes-plus breath-holds, juggling – and catching – six coins at once to demonstrate his reflexes.

With little to choose between them, it may come down to whoever can stay smart and adapt over the 12 scheduled rounds.



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Ronaldo tops Forbes’ list of highest-paid athletes again, Rahm second | Football News

Former Manchester United and Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo is named highest-paid athlete for a fourth time.

Cristiano Ronaldo topped Forbes’ list of highest-paid athletes for the fourth time in his career while Spanish golfer Jon Rahm moved up to second following his sensational switch to Saudi-backed LIV Golf.

Ronaldo became the world’s highest-paid athlete after his move to Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr and Forbes said the 39-year-old footballer’s estimated total earnings were in the region of $260m, an all-time high for a football player.

His on-field earnings amounted to $200m while his off-field earnings were $60m, thanks to sponsorship deals where brands make use of his 629 million Instagram followers.

Twice major winner Rahm joined LIV Golf in December in a big-money move that sent shockwaves through the sport after media reports said the current world number five would be paid at least $300m.

Apart from that guarantee, Rahm has earned $218m and joins Ronaldo as the only two athletes to earn over $200m.

Third on the list is record eight-times Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi, who made a lucrative switch to Major League Soccer side Inter Miami, helping the Argentine World Cup winner earn $135m.

The 36-year-old has earned $65m in on-field earnings but $70m off it thanks to deals with major sponsors such as Adidas and Apple.

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James is fourth at $128.2m and although the 39-year-old, the first NBA player to score 40,000 career points, is nearing the end of his career, the American is set to have one last crack at the Olympics.

Fellow NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo ($111m) of the Milwaukee Bucks rounds out the top five while France soccer captain Kylian Mbappe has dropped down to sixth ($110m).

Mbappe announced he would be leaving Paris Saint-Germain after seven years in the French capital where he became the club’s all-time leading scorer and the 25-year-old is expected to join Spanish giants Real Madrid in the close season.

Former PSG star Neymar, who also moved to the Saudi Pro League to join Al-Hilal, is seventh ($108m) despite sitting out the majority of the season with a torn ACL.

French striker Karim Benzema, who also moved to Saudi Arabia, is eighth ($106m) on the list followed by Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry ($102m).

Lamar Jackson is the only NFL player on the list in 10th place ($100.5m) thanks to the signing bonus that was negotiated in his new Baltimore Ravens contract last year.

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Fury’s father bloodied in clash with Usyk’s entourage | Boxing News

Tyson Fury’s and Oleksandr Usyk’s entourages clash at media event before Saturday’s boxing bout in Saudi Arabia.

Tyson Fury’s father appears to have head-butted a member of Oleksandr Usyk’s entourage in a bloody clash at a media day for Saturday’s undisputed world heavyweight title fight in Saudi Arabia.

John Fury, with a cut on his forehead and bloody streaks on his face, confirmed to Sky Sports television his involvement in an incident at the event on Monday in Riyadh attended by both fighters.

“[He] disrespected my son, the best heavyweight to ever wear a pair of boxing gloves,” he said.

“He was in my face, trying to be clever – coming into my space [with] ‘Usyk! Usyk!’” he added. “… I was only chanting my own son’s name. So then he went a step closer and a step closer. So at the end of it, I’m a warrior. That’s what we do. We’re fighting people.

“You come in the space, you’re going to get what’s coming.”

Sky reported Saudi authorities had decided to draw a line under the incident.

Ring of Fire set alight already

Billed as the “Ring of Fire”, the fight will unify Briton Fury’s WBC heavyweight championship with the WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO belts held by Ukrainian Usyk. Both are undefeated professionally.

“I didn’t see anything,” Sky quoted Tyson Fury as saying. “I was in the room doing interviews. But I’m not here for all that. I’m here to get the job done and go home and rest.”

The fight originally was to have been held on December 23. It was then set for February 17 before being rescheduled when Fury suffered a cut in sparring.

Usyk’s manager, Alexander Krassyuk, hoped the elder Fury would apologise.

“It would be nice if we hear some apologies from John because this was his behaviour,” he told Sky.

“We are the example for the whole world. … A new generation of kids are taking us as an example. What will they see from this?”

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Fan whips Al Ittihad player in row after Saudi Super Cup defeat | Football

NewsFeed

A spectator attacked Al Ittihad player Abderrazak Hamdallah with a whip during a confrontation after the team’s Saudi Super Cup final defeat to Al Hilal. Video shows the striker being assaulted after throwing water at the fan.

Published On 12 Apr 2024

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Al Nassr’s Ronaldo red-carded as Al Hilal win Saudi Super Cup semifinal | Football News

Cristiano Ronaldo’s wait for a Saudi Arabian football trophy will continue after Super Cup exit.

Al Nassr captain Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off late on as his side lost 2-1 to city rivals Al Hilal in their Saudi Super Cup semifinal after a heated clash in Abu Dhabi.

Portugal’s record scorer was shown a straight red card four minutes from time for elbowing an opponent when his side were 2-0 down before they scored a late consolation on Monday night.

Jorge Jesus’s Al Hilal opened the scoring in the 62nd minute when Salem al-Dawsari slotted the ball into the bottom right corner from a Sergej Milinkovic-Savic flick after a quick break.

Brazilian forward Malcolm doubled the lead in the 72nd minute with a fine header after Michael’s long cross from the right found his compatriot unmarked in the centre of the box.

Former Liverpool forward Sadio Mane got Al Nassr on the scoresheet in stoppage time off Abdulrahman Ghareeb’s pass.

Al Hilal will seek a record-extending fourth title in Thursday’s final when they face Karim Benzema’s Al Ittihad, who beat Al Wehda 2-1 in the earlier semifinal on Monday.

Ronaldo joined Al Nassr on a free transfer on December 31, 2022, securing the highest salary for a professional footballer after signing a two-and-a-half-year, $213m deal.

The Portuguese striker, who began playing for Al Nassr in January 2023, is yet to win a trophy in Saudi Arabia.

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Blinken meets with Arab officials, calls for ‘enduring end’ to Gaza crisis | Israel War on Gaza News

US secretary of state holds talks with Egyptian president and crown prince of Saudi Arabia in latest Middle East tour.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has met Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and reiterated the call for a truce in the war on Gaza and support for the two-state solution, the US Department of State has said.

The meetings over the past two days are part of Blinken’s sixth trip to the Middle East since the war broke out.

In his talks with the Saudi crown prince in Jeddah, Blinken “underscored the importance of urgently addressing humanitarian needs” in Gaza, the State Department said in a statement.

“Secretary Blinken reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to achieve an enduring end to the crisis in Gaza and to the establishment of a future Palestinian state with security guarantees for Israel,” it added.

Blinken travelled to Cairo, where he met top Egyptian officials, including el-Sisi.

“Secretary Blinken and President el-Sisi discussed negotiations to secure an immediate ceasefire for at least six weeks and the release of all hostages,” the State Department said.

“They also discussed ongoing efforts to protect Palestinian civilians and humanitarian workers in Gaza and Egypt’s essential leadership role in facilitating increased humanitarian assistance.”

Secretary Blinken also reasserted Washington’s “rejection of any forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza”, according to the statement.

United Nations experts have warned that famine is imminent in Gaza as a result of Israel’s blockade.

In a major speech earlier this month, Biden warned Israel against using humanitarian assistance to Gaza as a “bargaining chip”.

On Monday, the White House also cautioned Israel against a major ground assault on the crowded city of Rafah, where more than one million Palestinians have taken shelter since being displaced.

The Israeli military has killed nearly 32,000 Palestinians in Gaza since October 7 after Hamas launched an attack on southern Israel, killing 1,139 people and taking more than 200 captive.

Despite the mounting Palestinian death toll and destruction of large parts of Gaza, the Biden administration has pushed on with its financial and diplomatic support for Israel. The White House is working with Congress to secure more than $14bn in additional aid to the US ally.

Washington has also vetoed three UN Security Council proposals that would have called for a ceasefire.

Instead of calling for an end to the war, the Biden administration has worked to secure a pause in hostilities to allow the release of captives taken from Israel on October 7 and the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Gaza.

The top US diplomat has travelled several times to the region to finalise the truce agreement. Later on Thursday, the US secretary of state met with Arab diplomats from across the region.

Blinken is set to conclude his trip in Israel. The visit will be his first since officials from Biden’s Democratic Party have intensified their criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.

Last week, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called for new elections in Israel to replace Netanyahu – comments that the Israeli prime minister described as “totally inappropriate”.

Still, the Biden administration has signalled that it will continue with its pro-Israel policies.

The State Department said Blinken and Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed discussed “greater integration among countries in the region” during their meeting.

The Biden administration has used “integration” to refer to establishing formal diplomatic relations between Israel and Arab states, a process more commonly known as “normalisation”. But a US push for official ties between Saudi Arabia and Israel has been complicated by the Gaza conflict.

Last month, after the White House suggested that Saudi Arabia-Israel normalisation talks are continuing despite the war on Gaza, the kingdom denied the account in a strongly worded statement.

“The kingdom has communicated its firm position to the US administration that there will be no diplomatic relations with Israel unless an independent Palestinian state is recognised on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, and that the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip stops and all Israeli occupation forces withdraw from the Gaza Strip,” the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said at that time.

Netanyahu has repeatedly voiced opposition to the establishment of a Palestinian state, stressing that Israel must maintain security control over the Palestinian territory.

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Blinken begins latest Middle East tour, set to meet Arab leaders in Cairo | Israel War on Gaza News

US secretary of state is expected to discuss a truce deal, the exchange of hostages and prisoners, among other topics.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has begun a tour of the Middle East by holding talks in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, hoping to secure a ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza.

Blinken is set to meet Arab foreign ministers and a senior Palestinian official in Cairo on Thursday, according to an Egyptian foreign ministry note, as he pushes for a truce between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, where hunger is spreading amid growing warnings of a looming famine.

The note did not give details on the subject of the meeting, but Egyptian security sources cited by the Reuters news agency said Arab nations would present plans for a political solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Such plans had been put on hold as mediators from Qatar, Egypt and the United States sought to secure a deal for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners.

After arriving in Saudi Arabia, Blinken met Prince Faisal bin Farhan, the Saudi foreign minister, and was expected to hold talks with ruling Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Blinken is on his sixth trip to the Middle East since Israel’s war on Gaza began on October 7. He has said he would pursue conversations on arrangements for the governance, security and redevelopment of post-conflict Gaza, and for lasting regional peace during his tour.

Talks for a ceasefire deal continued in Qatar this week following failed attempts to secure an agreement before the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Qatari officials said they were “cautiously optimistic” after talks with Israel’s intelligence chief in Doha, although Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said on Tuesday that an Israeli ground operation in Rafah in southern Gaza would set back any talks.

There are currently approximately 1.5 million internally displaced Palestinians sheltering in Rafah, where camps are severely overcrowded and diseases are rampant amid a lack of basic supplies, food, and medicine.

Looming Rafah invasion

The US Department of State announced that Blinken will cap his tour by visiting Israel.

“In Israel, Secretary Blinken will discuss with the leadership of the government of Israel the ongoing negotiations to secure the release of all hostages,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said.

“He will discuss the need to ensure the defeat of Hamas, including in Rafah, in a way that protects the civilian population, does not hinder the delivery of humanitarian assistance, and advances Israel’s overall security.”

Tensions between the US and Israel over the prosecution of the Gaza assault have been mounting for months over rising civilian casualties. More than 31,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, many of them women and children, according to Palestinian health officials. A United Nations food agency warned that “famine is imminent” in northern Gaza.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly said he will ignore President Joe Biden’s warnings not to start a large-scale ground operation in Rafah without credible plans to protect innocent Palestinians. He said preparations are under way, but an operation “will take some time”.

Biden, facing a tough re-election campaign before November’s presidential election, is under growing domestic pressure to rein in Israel’s military response to the October 7 Hamas attacks in Israel. Opposition to the war in the United States, Arab nations and much of the rest of the world has shaped the evolution of Blinken’s frequent trips to the region since October.

In a phone call with Biden on Monday, their first in more than a month, Netanyahu agreed to send a high-level delegation to Washington to discuss plans for the proposed Rafah operation, and the Pentagon said Tuesday that Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant would visit the US capital next week.

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Record number of people executed for drug offences in 2023 | Death Penalty News

In its annual report, Harm Reduction International says at least 467 drug-related executions took place last year.

At least 467 people were executed for drug offences in 2023, a new record, according to Harm Reduction International (HRI), an NGO that has been tracking the use of the death penalty for drugs since 2007.

“Despite not accounting for the dozens, if not hundreds, of executions believed to have taken place in China, Vietnam, and North Korea, the 467 executions that took place in 2023 represent a 44% increase from 2022,” HRI said in its report, which was released on Tuesday.

Drug executions made up about 42 percent of all known death sentences carried out around the world last year, it added.

HRI said it had confirmed drug-related executions in countries including Iran, Kuwait and Singapore. China treats death penalty data as a state secret and secrecy surrounds the punishment in countries including Vietnam and North Korea.

“Information gaps on death sentences persist, meaning many (if not most) death sentences imposed in 2023 remain unknown,” the report said. “Most notably, no accurate figure can be provided for China, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia and Thailand. These countries are all believed to regularly impose a significant number of death sentences for drug offences.”

International law prohibits the use of the death penalty for crimes that are not intentional and of “the most serious” nature. The United Nations has stressed that drug offences do not meet that threshold.

Singapore has drawn international criticism after resuming the use of the death penalty in March 2022, following a two-year hiatus during the pandemic.

Some 11 executions, carried out by hanging, took place that year, and at least 16 people had been hanged as of November 2023, according to Human Rights Watch.

Among those executed was Saridewi Djamani, a Singaporean woman who was convicted of drug trafficking in 2018. She was the first woman to be executed in the city-state for almost 20 years.

“Singapore reversed the COVID-19 hiatus on executions, kicking its death row machinery into overdrive,” Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch said in the organisation’s annual report. “The government’s reinvigorated use of the death penalty merely highlighted its disregard for human rights protections and the inherent cruelty of capital punishment.”

Some countries have moved to reform their death penalty regimes in recent years with Malaysia ending the mandatory death sentence, including for drugs, and Pakistan removing the death penalty from the list of punishments that can be imposed for certain violations of its Control of Narcotics Substances Act.

Still, in other countries, defendants continued to be sentenced to death for drug offences.

HRI said such confirmed sentences last year increased by more than 20 percent from 2022. About half of those were passed by courts in Vietnam and a quarter in Indonesia.

At the end of 2023, some 34 countries continued to retain the death penalty for drug crimes.

In Singapore, there are just over 50 people on death row with all but two convicted of drug offences, according to the Transformative Justice Collective, a Singapore-based NGO that campaigns against the death penalty.

On February 28, Singapore hanged Bangladeshi national Ahmed Salim. He was the first person convicted of murder to be hanged in the city-state since 2019.

“Capital punishment is used only for the most serious crimes in Singapore that cause grave harm to the victim, or to society,” the Singapore Police Force said in a statement.

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