Usyk beat Fury by split decision to become undisputed heavyweight champion
Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk walked out of the ring victorious on Saturday night after beating Tyson Fury in the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to become the new undisputed heavyweight world champion.
The 37-year-old, who won by split decision, became the first boxer to hold on to four belts at the same time in the heavyweight category, as he took home the WBA, WBC, IBF, and WBO heavyweight titles.
Usyk edged the British boxer 2-1 on the judges’ scorecard, with the first two judges ruling it 115-112 and 114-113 in favour of the Ukrainian, while the last judge ruled it 114-113 in favour of Fury.
“Thank you so much for my team. It’s a big opportunity for my family, for my country,” the Ukrainian said. “I’m very happy.
“My people will be very happy I think, it’s a big win, not only for me, it’s a big win for my country, for soldiers who now defend my country.
“I think my father now is watching over me and is very happy. Dad, I love you. I can, you told me I can.”
OLEKSANDR USYK HAS BEAT TYSON FURY AND IS UNDISPUTED HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION! 😱👑#FuryUsyk | #RingOfFire | #RiyadhSeason | @Turki_alalshikh | @usykaa pic.twitter.com/EKBSzJhGxn
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) May 18, 2024
The much-anticipated bout had some big names in attendance, like five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo, Brazilian football star Neymar, former Liverpool midfielder and head coach of Saudi club Al-Ettifaq, British boxer Anthony Joshua, and boxing’s latest power broker, Turki Alalshikh.
The fight wasn’t all straight-forward for Usyk, who needed big reactions late in the bout to put himself in the driving seat. Fury was very dominant from the beginning, setting the tone for the fight in its initial half, albeit with all of his clownish gestures inside the ring.
However, Usyk got to work later on, mounting a comeback in the second half of the fight, with the most notable moment coming in the ninth round when the Ukrainian put together a series of combinations that had Fury begging for the bell.
A left hook from Usyk started the job, and “the Cat” continued to roll in punches after punches, leaving Fury stunned without any balance or support other than the ropes, which forced the referee to give out a standing count for the Brit.
The fight eventually came to an end in the 12th round, with Fury landing the last punch, but much of the damage had been done by Usyk, who was so close to earning a knockout victory if not for the referee’s intervention in the ninth round.
📋 Oleksandr Usyk has now completed boxing:
👑 WBA Cruiserweight
👑 WBC Cruiserweight
👑 IBF Cruiserweight
👑 WBO Cruiserweight
👑 Ring Cruiserweight
👑 WBA Heavyweight
👑 WBC Heavyweight
👑 IBF Heavyweight
👑 WBO Heavyweight
👑 Ring Heavyweight pic.twitter.com/fTrvFQgZRE— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) May 18, 2024
Usyk ensured Fury, who was fighting in his fourth title defense, lost for the first time in his 16-year professional boxing career, and the 35-year-old Brit, who was evidently furious after the announcement, claimed Usyk got a better judgement because his country is “at war.”.
“I believe I won that fight, I believe he won a few of the rounds, but I won the majority of them,” Fury said. “We both put on a good fight. His country is at war, so people are siding with the country at war.
“Make no mistake, I won that fight in my opinion. We’ve got a rematch clause. I’ve had a split-decision loss to a good little man. We run it back in October. Well done, Oleksandr.”
However, Usyk maintained his unbeaten status, additionally making history as the first heavyweight undisputed champion in about 25 years since Lennox Lewis, who was in attendance in the Kingdom Arena, beat Evander Holyfield in 1999.
