19 May 2024 , 06:54
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Oleksandr Usyk has been crowned the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world after beating Tyson Fury in a fight for the ages in Saudi Arabia.
In the biggest heavyweight fight in a quarter of a century, the Ukrainian stunned the previously undefeated ‘Gypsy King’ with another boxing masterclass to secure his status as the best heavyweight on the planet.
Usyk was behind in the fight at the midway stage but produced a sensational response in the ninth round, mauling Fury with a vicious flurry of shots that sent him bouncing off the ropes and eventually to the canvas.
The fight went to the judges’ scorecards with Usyk securing the win via the tightest of margins on a split decision.
With the IBF, WBO and WBA belts already in his possession, he adds the WBC title to his collection, becoming the division’s first sole world champion since Lennox Lewis in 1999.
Usyk writes his name into history, joining the exclusive fraternity of fighters to rule as undisputed in two separate weight divisions.
The Olympic gold medal winner previously unified the cruiserweight division before moving up the sport’s blue-riband division just over four years ago, winning his world titles from Anthony Joshua in 2021 before masterfully beating him again in a rematch a year later.
Fury will have the chance to settle the score with a rematch between the two agreed and set to take place in October.
Despite the magnitude of the fight, a confident Fury showboated from the opening round but Usyk had success in the opening stanzas, pursuing his rival around the ring as he looked to inflict early damage.
In response, Fury began looking to land the sort of uppercuts that once flattened Dillian Whyte, crashing them into Usyk’s body to push the Ukrainian back.
As the fight approached the midway stage, Fury was beginning to take control, continuing to goad and taunt his rival whenever the opportunity arose, having more and more success with those damaging uppercuts.
In the fifth, Fury upped the pace and began targeting the body more and more, looking for the shuddering body shots that have previously caused problems for Usyk.
Fury was in the ascendency by the sixth and a thunderous shot jolted Usyk midway through the round with another uppercut leaving him in huge trouble. The Olympic champion was suddenly looking the most vulnerable he had looked in his career.
With his confidence flowing, Fury was picking Usyk off at range with ease in the seventh but Usyk provided a telling reminder of the danger he posed with a strong end to the round.
Usyk needed a strong eighth to stay in the fight and provided it, peppering Fury with blood dripping from the Briton’s nose as a result of that pressure.
An unbelievable ninth from Usyk changed the fight. Relentless in his pressure, he landed shot after shot flush on Fury with an endless barrage sending him staggering across the ring, bouncing off the ropes, out on his feet. He eventually crashed to the mat with the end of the round briefly his saving grace.
Fury hung on in the ninth, rediscovering his senses with the two fighting out three more enthralling rounds. Usyk’s hand was raised at the end, but the agreed rematch between the two means there will surely be another chapter to follow.