Oleksandr Usyk defeated Tyson Fury by split decision, now it is undeniable
Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk made history by becoming the undisputed heavyweight champion by defeating the Englishman Tyson Fury.
Oleksandr Usyk defeated Tyson Fury by split decision to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the four-belt era on Saturday night in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs), who competed with the WBA, IBF and WBO belts, took the lineal and WBC titles from Fury (34-1-1, 24 KOs) and became undisputed. The last time boxing had an undisputed heavyweight champion was 2000 (Lennox Lewis, three-belt era).
In a fight that unfolded in the ninth round, when Usyk almost finished the fight and scored a knockdown, two judges scored the fight with scores of 115-112 and 114-113 in favor of Usyk, and the third – 114-113 in favor of Fury.
Both fighters opened the fight with active jabs, but Usyk dictated the pace and landed the biggest blow in the first two rounds, catching Fury with a looping left hook late in the first round and starting the second round with a solid two-hit combination.
Usyk continued to push forward in the third round, but Fury began to find a rhythm, throwing more combinations and landing good body shots despite struggling on his back leg. He continued to work on his jab and early in the fourth round he landed a big right hook and a hard right hand to the body that forced Usyk back.
A powerful right hook surprised Usyk in the sixth round, visibly hurting him and forcing him to cover for a moment. Fury tried to get into a rhythm, bouncing on his feet and taunting Usyk with hard punches.
Fury landed another big right hook that caused Usyk to retreat in the seventh round, but Usyk continued to attack, hitting Fury with a straight right hand and ending the round with a combination.
Usyk showed his heart and fought back in the eighth round, landing a three-punch combination and forcing Fury back to the ropes after landing a big left hand. Another big two-punch combination set up Usyk and he surprised Fury with a right hand in the closing seconds of the round as swelling began to form under Fury’s right eye.
Usyk seemed to be inspired before the start of the 9th round, which was crucial for the Ukrainian. He put Fury under pressure again and landed a big left hand that pinned Fury against the ropes. A huge left hand gave Fury some trouble, and Usyk felt that Fury was injured and went for the finish, connecting several unstoppable combinations. Fury was visibly hurt, staggering against the ropes, and the referee ruled a knockdown when the bell rang to end the round.
Usyk pinned Fury in the corner as the 10th round began, Fury still seemed dazed from the punishment he had received in the previous round, but Usyk remained patient rather than launching an attack.
Usyk started the eleventh round aggressively and continued to move forward. He caught Fury on the chin with another big left hand and finished the round with a big right hand.
Fury showed some liveliness early in the 12th round, resuming his activity as Usyk appeared to be in control of the fight. But Usyk continued to dictate the pace and kept going as the fight ended with Usyk landing another left hand.