Oleksandr Usyk (left) lands a punch on Tyson Fury during the Heavyweight Championship fight at Kingdom Arena, Riyadh. Picture date: Saturday May 18, 2024. (Photo by Nick Potts/PA Images via Getty Images)
The highly anticipated heavyweight title bout between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk definitely lived up to the hype after the two undefeated fighters went the distance in a thrilling back-and-forth battle. In the end, two judges scored the fight in favor of Usyk, who becomes the first undisputed heavyweight champion in the four-belt era.
The judges scored it 115-112, 114-113 and 113-114.
Fury narrowly escaped defeat in his last fight against former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, and once again couldn't maintain his championship form versus Usyk on Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Fury may have underestimated both Ngannou and Usyk and Saturday's loss might be further evidence of a steady decline after a long reign as the WBC heavyweight champion.
Usyk's technical prowess and consistency paid off in the later rounds after Fury dominated the middle rounds. Usyk was able to rally toward the end of the fight and scored a knockdown on Fury in the ninth round. Initially considered an underdog, Usyk's odds climbed as the fight neared, but Fury still entered the ring as the favorite after looking absolutely fit at Friday's weigh-in.
After the fight, Fury said he intends to enact the rematch clause against Usyk and fight him again in October.
It’s been a two-horse race at the top of the p4p rankings between Inoue and Crawford, and rightfully so, but how do you not consider Usyk in that mix now, too? Undisputed at Cruiserweight and now heavyweight. Hands Tyson his first loss. Two over AJ. Quite the resume.
Wow I have Usyk winning. Great fight. Mostly Tyson in the beginning. Usyk looked gassed but found life with a big Left. Fury was never able to get back full control. GREAT FIGHT
— ShowtimeShawn Porter (@ShowtimeShawnP) May 18, 2024
Mark Nelson deserves credit for taking Fury's history of overcoming trouble into account & not stopping this fight in the 9th round. Some refs might not have given him that opportunity. #FuryUsyk
Another round for Usyk!! Both guys gotta FINISH!! Think we gotta tie game people
— ShowtimeShawn Porter (@ShowtimeShawnP) May 18, 2024
Yahoo Sports Staff
Usyk's in the zone now and wins another round. Fury seemed to recover well, but the momentum has completely shifted in Usyk's favor,. Two rounds left to decide the undisputed heavyweight champion!
Fury fighting on his backfoot to start the 9th while Usyk is picking up his pace. Fury's right eye seems to be bothering him.
Yahoo Sports Staff
Big comeback round for Usyk in the 8th. He's not backing down and caught Fury a few times with some great counters. Fury has proven he can take big shots though and Usyk has hardly invested in the body.
— Boxing on TNT Sports (@boxingontnt) May 18, 2024
Yahoo Sports Staff
Usyk landed some big shots at the end of the 7th. Not enough to take the round, but he's still dangerous. Fury's showboating could end up costing him if he's not careful.
Yahoo Sports Staff
Fury has outlanded Usyk, 101-72 through six rounds. Has thrown over 100 more punches, per @CompuBox
Great close round!! Fury’s clowning is smoke and mirrors. He’s not as comfy as he’s trying to make Usyk believe…. I’d like to see him push Usyk back. I think that’s where he’ll have the most success
— ShowtimeShawn Porter (@ShowtimeShawnP) May 18, 2024
Heavyweight: Oleksandr Usyk def. Tyson Fury by split decision (115-112, 114-113, 113-114) Cruiserweight: Jai Opetaia def. Mairis Breidis by unanimous decision (117-111, 116-112, 116-112) Super featherweight: Anthony Cacace def. Joe Cordina via TKO at 0:39 of R8 Heavyweight: Agit Kabayel def. Frank Sanchez by KO at 2:33 of R7 Heavyweight: Moses Itauma def. Ilja Mezencev by TKO at 0:50 of R2 Lightweight: Mark Chamberlain def. Joshua Oluwaseun Wahab by TKO at 2:42 of R1 Light heavyweights: Robin Sirwan Safar def. Sergey Kovalev by unanimous decision 97-92, 99-90, 95-94 Cruiserweight: David Nyika def. Michael Seitz by TKO at 2:45 of R4
A year ago, Usyk would have been at least a 2-1 underdog in this fight. But with these little hints of Fury on the decline all while Usyk has continued his steady march toward heavyweight domination, those odds have shifted.
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