The boxing rings have a new king. Oleksandr Usyk was crowned this Sunday in Riyadh, the new undisputed heavyweight champion, a first in twenty-five years, thanks to his points victory against Tyson Fury.
By adding the WBC title of his opponent of the day to his WBA, WBO and IBF trophies, the Ukrainian, named winner by split decision, unified the four heavyweight belts. Two judges gave Usyk winning 115-112 and 114-113, with the third siding with Fury, at 114-113.
Zelensky’s congratulations
Usyk is the first undisputed champion in the category since Lennox Lewis, who reached the Grail in 1999 in Las Vegas following his victory against Evander Holyfield. However, at that time there were only three belts. Usyk’s feat is therefore unprecedented.
“It’s a great moment, a great day,” said the 37-year-old Ukrainian, saying he was “ready for revenge”. “The Ukrainians are hitting hard! », Greeted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Telegram, sending his “congratulations to the champion”.
The tall mustachioed man from Simferopol, who despite everything is about fifteen centimeters taller than Fury (2.06 meters) attacked first and gradually took control of the fight, resisting the bursts of the “Gypsy King”. Halfway through, he had twice as many blows as the cunning Fury, who made a few bad moves.
Fury leaves with a big bastard
Galvanized by chants of “Usyk!” Usyk! » and under the eyes of footballer Cristiano Ronaldo or Anthony Joshua, another top heavyweight boxer, the Ukrainian sent a first serious warning in the eighth round to the British Fury, who continued the fight with a big coquard under the ‘right eye.
In the next round, Usyk simply came within seconds of turning off the lights. With a devastating sequence to the face, he sent Fury, staggering, into the corner of the ring. The “Gypsy King” was saved by the bell, while the referee had started the count.
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Now champion of the premier category, Usyk joins boxing legends to have achieved such a performance, including Mohamed Ali, Joe Louis and “Iron” Mike Tyson.
Before the meeting, the two protagonists had an impeccable record. And many feared that the clash, described as a “once in a generation” clash by promoter Frank Warren, would end in a draw. But Usyk collected a 22nd victory in as many fights, while Fury suffered his first defeat (34 wins, one draw). The 35-year-old Briton described a “fantastic fight with Oleksandr”, believing however that he deserved to win instead of Usyk, and that the decision could have been influenced by the geopolitical context and the war in Ukraine.