Oleksandr Usyk has achieved boxing history by becoming the first undisputed heavyweight champion in 24 years, after a thrilling victory over Tyson Fury.
Oleksandr Usyk carved his name into boxing history on Sunday, defeating Tyson Fury by split decision to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion in 24 years.
With a spectacular late rally and a ninth-round knockdown, Usyk (22-0) added Fury's WBC title to his own WBA, IBF, and IBO belts. Two judges scored the bout 115-112 and 114-113 in Usyk's favor, while the third gave it to Fury, 114-113.
"It's a great time. It's a great day," said Usyk after the victory.
Usyk began the fight strongly, but the confident and charismatic Fury took control in the middle rounds. However, Usyk showed his resilience in the final rounds, as he often has throughout his career, dominating the eighth and nearly stopping Fury in the ninth.
With a left hand, Usyk sent Fury (34-1-1) crashing into a corner in the final seconds of the ninth, earning a knockdown just before the bell sounded. Fury stumbled into the 10th but struggled to mount a consistent attack after nearly being stopped.
"Thank you so much to my team," said an emotional Usyk in the ring. "It's a big opportunity for me, for my family, for my country. Slava Ukraini!"
Fury planted a kiss on Usyk's head after the final bell and expressed a desire for a rematch in October. "I believe I won that fight," Fury said. "I believe he won a few of the rounds, but I won the majority of them, and I believe it was one of those what-can-you-do, one of them... decisions in boxing. We both put on a good fight, best we can do."
At 37 years old, Usyk is the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis held the honor for a brief period in 1999 and 2000. By defeating Fury, who holds the lineal championship after beating Wladimir Klitschko in 2015, Usyk also claimed that distinction.
Despite a six-inch height disadvantage and a 30-pound weight difference, Usyk's athleticism and skill proved to be a significant advantage. The Ukrainian landed 41% of his 407 punches, compared to Fury's 31.7% of 496 attempts. Usyk also threw and landed more power punches (260 to 210 and 122 to 95, respectively).
Usyk's victory over Anthony Joshua in 2021 earned him three title belts, which he successfully defended twice before angling for the ultimate payday against Fury in Saudi Arabia.
With this historic win, Usyk joins the elite group of fighters who have held every major world championship belt at heavyweight, becoming the first to do so in the four-belt era. This exclusive club includes Jack Dempsey, Joe Louis, Floyd Patterson, Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, and Mike Tyson.
The most recent undisputed heavyweight champ was Lewis, who reigned for five months after defeating Evander Holyfield in 1999. However, territorial squabbles in boxing have often prevented the biggest fights from happening, leading to a long gap without an undisputed champion.
The matchup between Fury and Usyk was a testament to their desire to face each other, and it was only made possible by the financial incentives provided by Saudi Arabia. Fury is reportedly receiving over $100 million for the bout.
To maximize reach to the Western pay-per-view audience, the fight began late at night in the Middle East, at 1:45 a.m. on Sunday morning at Kingdom Arena.
