Since Lennox Lewis’ victory over Evander Holyfield in a rematch of all-time greats in November 1999 in Las Vegas, there had not been an undisputed heavyweight champion. Nearly 25 years later, Oleksandr Usyk stunned Tyson Fury in Round 9 to win a split decision early Sunday at the sold-out Kingdom Arena, erecting yet another undisputed champion in the glamour division of boxing.
The two men fought like though they were in a prizefight, so the wait was definitely worth it. One judge gave Fury a score of 114-113, but Usyk got scores of 114-113 and 115-112, delivering the Englishman his first loss as a professional. Living in a war-torn region of Ukraine, Usyk said, “It’s [a] big opportunity for me, for my family, for my country, for history.” “It’s a wonderful day.”
Usyk became the first heavyweight champion to go undefeated when he defeated Fury for the WBC title. Prior to that, he had the WBA, IBF, and WBO titles. In addition, Fury regained the title of lineal heavyweight champion, which he had held since 2015 following a surprise victory over Wladimir Klitschko, the countryman of Usyk. A rematch between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua is set for October 12 in Riyadh as part of the two-fight deal for this much awaited bout. The winner of that fight will face Anthony Joshua in a superfight in the first quarter of 2025.
Fury, who possessed a weight advantage over Usyk of 39 pounds and 6 inches, stated, “I believe I won the fight, but I’m not going to sit here and cry and make excuses.” “I think he won a few rounds, but I won most of them,” I said. 
How can you proceed? The best we could do was put on a good fight. People are supporting the war-torn nation. But don’t misunderstand; I won that fight and will return. We have a “rematch” provision.” According to his promoter, Alexander Krassyuk of K2 Promotions, Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs), he needed four stitches to close a cut over his right eye. Additionally, Usyk was going to a nearby hospital for an MRI because there was concern that he had broken his jaw during the fight. Russ Anber, Usyk’s cutman and assistant trainer, told ESPN that the fighter didn’t tell him about the pain in his jaw until after the fight.
