Usyk in tears for late father after historic heavyweight win (2024)
Usyk beats Fury in Riyadh ‘Ring Of Fire’ showdown to become undisputed world heavyweight boxing 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 early aggressor but Usyk gradually took charge and the “Gypsy King” was saved by the bell in the ninth round before slumping to his first career defeat. Ukraine’s Usyk joins the likes of Muhammad Ali, Joe Louis and Mike Tyson as undisputed heavyweight champion, the first since boxing recognized four major belts in the 2000s.
Britain’s Lennox Lewis was the last man to unify the heavyweight belts — three at the time — after beating Evander Holyfield in 1999.
With the win, the still-undefeated former undisputed cruiserweight champion can legitimately claim to be the best of this era, although a rematch expected in October could provide another twist.
“It is a big opportunity for me, for my family, for my country,” said Usyk, 37, who briefly served as a soldier after the Russian invasion. “It’s a great time, a great day,” he said, adding that he was “ready for a rematch.” Fury called it 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. “You know his country is at war, so people are siding with the country at war but make no mistake, I won that fight in my opinion and I will be back.”
Two judges scored it for Usyk by scores of 115-112 and 114-113 while the third gave it to Fury 114-113. The victory extended Usyk’s professional record to 22-0. After his first loss, Fury stands at 34-1-1. 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 fight and the 6ft 9ins man (2.06m) man was quickly into his rhythm, keeping the shorter Usyk back with his jab and playing to the crowd. Usyk got inside with some quick combinations while Fury landed some heavy body shots. By round four, the Mancunian was taunting his ever-advancing opponent and showboating, guard down. Usyk called two low shots in round five and got caught with a left hook as Fury continued to look comfortable, landing a telling uppercut in the following round and bobbing and weaving to stay out of range.
But the Ukrainian tagged Fury with two clean lefts in the seventh and landed a punishing hook that dazed the “Gypsy King” in the eighth. By the next round, a relentless Usyk barrage had Fury in serious trouble and the wobbling, bleeding Mancunian took a standing count before being saved by the bell.
Fury recovered his poise and with the match in the balance heading into the final round, both fighters were finding the target.
Wladimir Klitschko was among the legends watching along with Saudi-based football stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar, who like boxing are grateful beneficiaries of Saudi Arabia's lavish push into sports. Riyadh’s newly built, 22,000-capacity Kingdom Arena was packed when Usyk strode out for his ringwalk at 1:30 am (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 back-to-front 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 rollercoaster career, with lows including a two-year, backdated drug ban and struggles with alcohol, cocaine and depression.
Fury had shed 15lb from his last outing when, sluggish and out of shape, he was knocked down by ex-MMA fighter Francis Ngannou en route to a split decision in October. Usyk, by contrast, has been the model of consistency with a career that was always on the rise. The 37-year-old from Simferopol in Crimea put together an outstanding amateur record, winning European and world titles and Olympic gold in 2012. After turning pro, he unified 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.
Usyk is also a former cruiserweight undisputed champion and 2012 Olympics gold medalist. He won the WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight titles with a decision victory over Anthony Joshua in September 2021 and has defended the belts twice, including in an August 2022 rematch with Joshua.
In Christ,' Fury began as he held Usyk's head in his hands. Usyk replied: 'Listen, I started preparing for you when you were boxing in 2008, European champion,' likely referencing Fury's EU Junior Championship of 2007. Fury said: 'Thank you my brother, you're a very good boxer.I love it, I love it, good moves.
In his 11-year career, Usyk has won everything there is to win in boxing. He was an Olympic champion in London 2012, a world champion in Baku 2011, and a European champion in Liverpool 2008. As a professional, the Ukrainian has also dominated the two top divisions with ease.
As an amateur boxer, Usyk won heavyweight gold medals at the 2011 World Championships and 2012 Olympics while accumulating a record of 335 wins and 15 losses. He turned professional in 2013, winning his first world title in 2016.
Although Fury was the loser, he was the winner in the purse with 100 million dollars, while the Ukrainian triumphed in the ring but lost in the bank with just 45 million. After 12 rounds of fighting, the judges, by split decision, determined Usyk as the winner.
Ukraine's Oleksandr Usyk beats the United Kingdom's Tyson Fury to become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. At the end of the 12 rounds, the judges' decision was: 115-112 to Usyk, 114-113 to Fury and 114-113 to Usyk.
Born in Manchester, Tyson Fury is deeply proud of his family ties to Ireland. The 35-year-old's family are part of the Irish Traveller community and Tyson refers to himself as the Gypsy King.
"I did my best, but it wasn't good enough,” said Wilder afterwards. “I'm not sure what happened. I know that in training he did certain things, and I also knew that he didn't come in at 277 to be a ballet dancer. He came to lean on me, try to rough me up and he succeeded.”
Fresh off his victory over the previously undefeated Tyson Fury on May 18, the Ring Ratings Panel unanimously voted to elevate Oleksandr Usyk to the number one spot on the magazine's pound-for-pound list. The Ukrainian's resume was already first ballot Hall of Fame-worthy prior to the Fury bout.
Tyson Fury's net worth stands at $50million, but not all of it comes from his professional boxing career. He's made his millions both on and off the battleground – he even has his own Netflix show.
Usyk, urged by the soldiers he had served alongside, eventually left the frontline in Kyiv to return to his usual battlefield: the boxing ring, to begin training for a rematch with Joshua.
You've got two unbeaten fighters, one in Oleksandr Usyk who has never been knocked down as a professional and the other, in Tyson Fury, who was asleep on the floor against Deontay Wilder and still got up. Fury has a two‑stone weight advantage, as well as a big height and reach edge.
Fury was on top of the world back in 2015 when he defeated Wladimir Klitschko to claim all four world title belts. But his success was quickly followed by a dark period. Public battles with depression and drug addiction ultimately cost him his belts, and saw him retreat from the sport.
Usyk became the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the four-belt era, and the first of any kind in 25 years, as he rallied after suffering against Fury's size and strength. A huge comeback gave him a split-decision victory that made boxing history.
Two judges scored the fight for Usyk, while a third scored it 114-113 to Fury. Tyson Fury is expected to have earned a whopping £80 million from his fight, having reached an agreement in 2023 with a 70/30 split in favour of Fury.
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