The highly anticipated clash between boxing giants Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury took place on Saturday at the prestigious Kingdom Arena in Saudi Arabia. This historic bout aimed to crown the first undisputed world heavyweight champion in a quarter of a century, marking a new era with four belts. In a thrilling turn of events, Usyk emerged triumphant, securing the title with a split-decision victory.
Fury came into the ring with a lot of energy and was in the best shape he had ever been. He had the fight in the bag from round one, but instead, he showboated and even hid his hands behind his back in the second round. Usyk landed a solid left hook and one-two combo, but Fury responded with quick right jabs and a few body shots before two nice uppercuts. Fury continued to circle his opponent on the back foot and used his height advantage against him.
The ‘Gypsy King’ remained elusive and continued to dance around his opponent, landing punishing blows, but Usyk appeared unwavering. By the sixth round, Usyk began feeling the heat. Fury landed a right to the head, rocked Usyk, and saw him back away from Fury. The Briton continued to pepper his opponent with savage strikes and blows with a smile on his face in round seven. Usyk slipped through his guard and landed a left cross to wipe the glee off his face.
In the eighth round, Fury came in with brutal punches and hooks, but Usyk was up for the challenge and chased down his opponent. He was on the attack and kept eating Fury’s punches while delivering blows of his own. With increased momentum, Usyk came into the ninth round with a left-hand flush that stunned Fury as he staggered to the ropes. Usyk rushed after him with blows and jabs before the referee issued a count.
The bell sounded to ensure the continuation of the fight, but Fury did not look good. He hid his discomfort well by goofing off in an attempt to hide his distress. Fury’s soon recovered himself, but Usyk swung a right and left-hand combo that had Fury up against the ring. The fight came to a close with judges deciding on a split decision win for the Ukranian, who broke down in tears.
Fury, on the other hand, believed he was cheated. “ I believe I won that fight,” he protested. “ I believe he won a few rounds, but I won more of them. His country is at war, so people are siding with the country at war. Make no mistake, I won that fight, in my opinion, and I’ll be back. We go back to our families and run it back in October. I’m not going to sit here and cry and make excuses.”
On the other hand, the victor, Usyk, was grateful for his win. “ Thank you so much for my team. It’s a big opportunity for my family, for my country. I’m very happy. My people will be very happy. I think, it’s a big win, not only for me, it’s a big win for my country, for my soldiers who now defend my country. I think my father is now watching over me and is very happy. Dad, I love you. I can. You told me I can.”
A rematch clause in the bout agreement means the rivals will be set to have another fight come October. The ‘Gypsy King’ took to his social media to post a likely October date, but he doesn’t seem to be in a hurry.
“We’ve just had the fight. If you can see my face, I’m pretty busted up, and he’s gone to the hospital with a broken jaw, and he’s busted up, too. We punched the f**k out of each other for 12 rounds there, so we’re going to go home, eat some food, drink a few beers, spend some family time, walk my dog, and me and Frank [Warren will talk] about what’s going to happen in the future.”
