USYK MAKES HISTORY IN HEAVYWEIGHT THRILLER

Oleksandr Usyk wrote his name into heavyweight folklore on Saturday night as he became the first EVER four-belt undisputed champion AND the first undisputed heavyweight champion in 25 years as he dropped Tyson Fury on his way to a split-decision points victory.

A fight which has been months in the making, the two finally went toe-to-toe in one of the most highly anticipated clashes of the 21st century and it was the Ukrainian who ultimately prevailed on a night which will live long in the memory.

On paper, this was a 50/50 fight. The bookies couldn’t split the pair. Boxing fans could barely split the pair. On the night, however, the judges managed to.

Building up to the fight, a lot of the focus was on how much Fury and Usyk would weigh.

Usyk hit the scales first, coming in at 233.3lbs, 12lbs more than his career heaviest. Fury weighed in at 262lbs, but it was at that point the drama started.

After a clip circulated online which seemed to suggest Usyk had actually weighed in at 223.3lbs, officials eventually confirmed his weight was in fact read out incorrectly.

So, around his usual fighting weight, Usyk was in the condition of his life, and so was Fury to his credit.

The big questions surrounding the fight were whether Usyk could deal with Fury’s size and whether Fury could deal with Usyk’s feet and IQ.

As expected, the first round was cagey. Usyk was already looking to stab that backhand to the body to set up the left hook upstairs, which is the shot that would ultimately go on to win him the fight.

Fury looked to keep the fight at distance and establish his jab, but as the first few rounds went on, it was Usyk who found his rhythm first.

Fury had to change something and in the fourth round, he did. The Brit took it upon himself to hold the centre of the ring and push Usyk back, similarly to what the Ukrainian had done to him for the first three rounds.

Usyk was troubled and after mixing in some heavy hooks to the body, Fury was more than in the ascendency. At one stage, it looked like the writing was on the wall.

However, when hurting Usyk on a couple of occasions, Fury decided against putting the pressure on and instead chose to showboat off the back foot. Something he would live to regret.

In the seventh round, and with the fight appearing to slip away from him, Usyk went into auto pilot and Fury looked bemused. All the momentum he’d built up in the previous three or four rounds had now gone, and it was Usyk bullying the bully.

Then came the most significant round of the fight.

In the ninth, with the Ukrainian now in full control, he backed Fury up onto the ropes and landed a peach of a left hook which sent the Gypsy King’s head to another planet.

This was Usyk’s moment and he piled it on Fury, only for the ref to call a knockdown with seconds left in the round and give Fury a 10 count, which he somehow survived.

Rounds 10 and 11 were clearly won by Usyk, while Fury rallied in the 12th and probably edged it. After an epic, intriguing battle, the outcome was to be decided by the scorecards of the judges.

As we awaited the result, the general consensus, both at ringside and online, was that Usyk had done more than enough to come out on top.

“115-112 Usyk, 114-113 Fury”, Michael Buffer called out, with the final scorecard set to prove decisive.

“114-113, and the winner, FROM UKRAINE...”

Usyk had done it.

He had created history, subsequently bringing joy and happiness to a country currently experiencing a hugely difficult time.

Oleksandr Usyk was the new undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.

Brought to tears in the aftermath, Usyk praised his late father and his wife in a truly emotional piece of television.

So, what next?

As documented ever since the fight was signed, there was a two-way rematch clause meaning we are likely to see this fight again with October already touted as a potential date.

Both fighters deserve credit and, on Saturday night, they proved they are the two best heavyweights on the planet.

Roll on, October.

Slava Ukraini!

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