RIYADH: On Sunday, Oleksandr Usyk defeated Tyson Fury by split decision to claim the world's first undisputed heavyweight title in 25 years. This is an exceptional accomplishment in the history of boxing, which is known for its four belts.
The bell spared the "Gypsy King" in the ninth round before he suffered his first professional defeat. Fury, who hails from Britain, was the early aggressor, but Usyk gradually took control of the fight. Since the boxing industry recognized four major belts in the 2000s, Ukraine's Usyk has become the first heavyweight champion to be undisputed. He joins the ranks of Muhammad Ali, Joe Louis, and Mike Tyson as the first to achieve this feat.
As a result of his victory over Evander Holyfield in 1999, Lennox Lewis, a fighter from the United Kingdom, became the final individual to unify the heavyweight belts, which had three titles at the time.
The unbeaten former cruiserweight champion can now legitimately assert that he is the best of this age, despite the fact that a rematch in October could add another layer of complexity to the situation. Usyk, who was 37 years old at the time, joined the military for a short period of time after the Russian invasion. "It is a big opportunity for me, my family, and my country," he continued."It's a great time, a great day," he said, adding that he was "ready for a rematch." "It's a great day," he mentioned.Fury described the interaction as a "fantastic fight with Oleksandr.""I believe I won that fight; I believe he won a few of the rounds, but I won the majority of them," he said to reporters."You know his country is at war, so people are siding with it, but make no mistake, I won that fight in my opinion, and I will be back." Two judges awarded Usyk scores of 115-112 and 114-113, while the third judge gave Fury a score of 114-113. Following the victory, Usyk's professional record improved to a perfect 22-0. After suffering his first defeat, Fury has a record of 34-1-1.Having dominated amateur, cruiserweight, and now the top class, Usyk appears to be one of the greats. He has added Fury's WBC belt to his IBF, WBA, and WBO championships, making him a contender for the title of world champion.An energized Fury charged out of his corner to start the fight, and the guy who stands 6 feet 9 inches tall (2.06 meters) quickly settled into his rhythm. With his jab, he kept the shorter Usyk at bay and played to the fans.Usyk moved inside, firing a series of fast combinations, while Fury unleashed some powerful body shots. At the end of the fourth round, the Manchester United fighter was showing off his guard while taunting his opponent, who was making steady progress.Fury maintained his dominance throughout the fight, delivering a telling uppercut and bobbing and weaving to stay out of range. Usyk fired two low shots in the fifth round, and Fury struck him with a left hook. But Fury stayed in charge. On the other hand, the Ukrainian knocked out Fury with two crisp lefts in the seventh round, and then in the eighth round, he delivered a massive hook that knocked the "Gypsy King" out.Fury was in a lot of trouble by the time the second round rolled around because of the constant bombardment from Usyk. The stumbling and bleeding Manchester native had to take a standing count before the bell came to his rescue during the fight. As the fight entered its last round, both fighters were hitting their targets, and Fury was able to restore his calm. The fight's outcome was in the balance.
Wladimir Klitschko, as well as Saudi football stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar, were among the notable individuals present. Both of these athletes, along with boxing, have benefited from the substantial funding that Saudi Arabia provides for sports.At 1:30 a.m. (2230 GMT), Usyk emerged onto the ringwalk, donning a green cossack coat and a fur hat, amidst a packed Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, recently constructed to accommodate 22,000 spectators. Following this, Fury danced to the song "Holding Out for a Hero" by Barry White and Bonny Tyler, donning a brown sleeveless jacket and a backwards-facing baseball cap.This circumstance set up a clash between two fighters with good pedigrees and dramatically different views about the sport.A two-year, backdated drug ban, as well as troubles with alcohol, cocaine, and depression, have been among the low moments in Fury's career, which has been a rollercoaster through its entirety. Following his most recent bout, which took place in October and resulted in a split decision, Fury has shed fifteen pounds. Francis Ngannou, a former mixed martial arts fighter, knocked him down in that fight.Usyk, on the other hand, has been a model of consistency throughout his career, which has been steadily progressing from beginning to end.In addition to winning gold at the 2012 Olympic Games, the 37-year-old athlete hailing from Simferopol, Crimea, has an impressive amateur record, having won medals at both the European and international levels.In the fifteen contests that followed his transition to the professional ranks, he succeeded in unifying the cruiserweight championships. Subsequently, he moved up to the heavyweight division, where he won three belts from Anthony Joshua in 2021 and then defeated him once again the following year.