Usyk defeats Fury to become undisputed heavyweight champion

RIYADH:

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

Britain’s Fury was the first aggressor, but Usyk gradually took charge and the “Gypsy King” was saved by the bell in the ninth round before falling to his first career defeat.

Ukrainian Usyk, who remains undefeated, joins Muhammad Ali, Joe Louis and Mike Tyson as the undisputed heavyweight champion, the first since boxing recognized four major belts in the 2000s.

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

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

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

Fury called it a “fantastic fight with Oleksandr”.

“I think I won that fight, I think he won some of the rounds, but I won most of them,” he said.

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

Britain’s Lennox Lewis was the last man to unify the heavyweight belts — three at the time — after defeating Evander Holyfield in 1999.

Two judges scored it for Usyk by scores of 115-112 and 114-113 while the third gave it to Fury 114-113. The win extended Usyk’s professional record to 22-0. After his first loss, Fury is 34-1-1.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has led the war effort against Russia for more than two years, posted on social media: “The Ukrainians hit hard! And in the end, all our adversaries will be defeated.”

Usyk, who adds Fury’s WBC belt to his IBF, WBA and WBO titles, looks set to go down as one of the greats after dominating at amateur, cruiserweight and now the top division.

A fired-up Fury came running out of his corner to start the bout and the 6ft 9ins (2.06m) man quickly got into his groove, keeping the shorter Usyk at bay with his jab and playing to the crowd.

Usyk came in with some quick combinations while Fury landed some heavy shots to the body. By the fourth round, the Mancunian was taunting his ever-promoting opponent and putting on a show, guard.

Usyk landed two low shots in round five and was caught with a left hook as Fury continued to look comfortable, landing an impressive uppercut in the next round and jabbing and weaving to stay out of range.

But the Ukrainian floored Fury with two clear lefts in the seventh and landed a punishing hook that stunned the “Gypsy King” in the eighth.

By the next round, a relentless Usyk barrage had Fury in serious trouble and the wobbly, bleeding Mancunian counted steadily before being saved by the bell.

Fury regained his balance and with the match in the balance going into the final round, both fighters find the mark.

Wladimir Klitschko was among the legends watching along with Saudi-based soccer stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar, who like boxing are grateful to benefit from the oil-rich monarchy’s lavish boost to the sport.

Riyadh’s newly built 22,000-capacity Kingdom Arena was packed when Usyk took his walk at 1.30am. (2230 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 backwards baseball cap.

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

Fury has had a roller-coaster career, with lows including a two-year long drug ban and struggles with alcohol, cocaine and depression.

Fury had shed 15 pounds since his last outing when, sluggish and out of shape, he fell to former MMA fighter Francis Ngannou en route to a split decision in October.

Usyk, by contrast, was the model of consistency with a career that was always on the rise.

The 37-year-old from Simferopol, Crimea, had an outstanding amateur record, winning European and world titles and Olympic gold in 2012.

After turning pro, he combined the cruiserweight belts in 15 fights before moving up to heavyweight, where he took three belts from Anthony Joshua in 2021 and won their rematch the following year.