By Ryan Mullen

Boxing history will be made in more ways than one when Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury square off for their second bout of the year. The fight alone is a momentous occasion in the storied saga of the sweet science, but as well as that, there’ll be a fourth judge, working independently from the regular three-man panel.

Saudi Arabian advisor, Turki Alalshikh, has announced that in collaboration with the Ring Magazine, there will be a benign AI judge giving a scorecard “free from bias and human error.” It has been stated that the “4th Judge” will not affect the outcome of the fight, but it will be used experimentally, making its debut on the biggest fight of the year. This decision is sure to spark tons of debate in the boxing world.

An anonymous survey released on fan forums and public social media platforms has reported mostly negative opinions.

One fan is on the fence about it, saying: “While I do think this is a bit of a controversial move going forward I think it’s worth it to see the possibilities of the future with scoring being so subjective”

Tyson Fury at the media workout (by Richard Pelham via Gettyimages)

Most wholeheartedly disagree with the notion, one fan said: “It’s not a good idea. It can be rigged or influenced even easier than a human and will be more prone to problems. If it was to be tested it should be tested in unranked bouts, not such a career-defining fight.”, with another voice to the choir saying that “Artificial Intelligence is not developed enough to understand the concept of combat”, but added that “it may prove itself useful on December 21st.”

One singular respondent has said: “A trial of something like this should be encouraged, as there’s been multiple fights given to the wrong person due to the mistakes of judges. An AI input could rule out any chance of bias which could be good for the sport going forward.”

Boxing’s greatest fights have sometimes been soured with outcomes coming from terrible judging, Fury himself said he “thought he should’ve won that fight” after his loss to Usyk in May. Could this innovative idea be the thing that shuts up sour fans? Or would it only stoke further debate? Whatever the case, the already-historic bout has drawn more eyes than it already had on it before.

Boxing’s 4th judge: Delightful or dystopian?