RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – There has not been an undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis defeated Evander Holyfield in a rematch with the all-time greats in November 1999 in Las Vegas.
Halfway across the world – almost 25 years later – another undisputed champion in the glamor boxing division was crowned when Oleksandr Usyk stopped Tyson Fury in Round 9 en route to a split decision victory early Sunday at a sold-out Kingdom Arena.
It was worth the wait, as both men fought a fight worthy of the prize they were fighting for.
One of the judges gave Fury a score of 114-113, but it was overturned by scores of 114-113 and 115-112 for Usyk, who gave the Englishman the first defeat of his career.
“His [a] a great opportunity for me, for my family, for my country, for history,” said Usyk, who lives in war-torn Ukraine. “This [a] great day.”
Usyk, who entered with the WBA, IBF and WBO belts, won Fury’s WBC title, becoming the first undisputed heavyweight champion in the four-belt era. He also became the lineal heavyweight champion, a title Fury had held since 2015 after an upset victory over Usyk’s compatriot, Wladimir Klitschko.
The two-fight deal for this long-awaited fight included a rematch scheduled for October 12 in Riyad, during which Fury will look to even the score and proceed to a super fight with Anthony Joshua in the first quarter of 2025.
“I believe I won this fight, but I’m not going to sit here and cry and make excuses,” said Fury, who had a 39-pound, 6-inch advantage over Usyk. “I think he won a few rounds, but I won most of them. What can you do? We both fought the good fight as best we could. … People are siding with a country at war. But make no mistake, I won this fight… and I will be back. We have a rematch clause.
According to his promoter, Alexander Krassyuk of K2 Promotions, Usyk (22-0, 14 KO) needed four stitches to close a cut on his right eye. There were also concerns that Usyk broke his jaw in the fight and went to a local hospital for an MRI. Usyk’s assistant coach and editor, Russ Anber, told ESPN that the fighter only complained of jaw pain after the fight.
However, Krassyuk told ESPN that he has “no doubt” that Usyk will be ready for the rematch scheduled for October 12.
Usyk, 37, came close to finishing Fury in the ninth round after firing 14 flush shots as the Englishman wobbled around the ring. The last of those punches sent Fury slumping against the ropes that held him for the ninth knockdown of his illustrious career. Before Usyk could pounce on Fury (34-1-1, 24 KO) after the count, the round was over. When round 10 began, Fury recovered after a minute of rest.
Although Usyk didn’t finish Fury, he changed the active of the fight for good. He ran rounds 8-10 on all three scorecards to complete the entire stretch. Fury won the final round unanimously, but by then it was too behind schedule.
Even in defeat, Fury bounced back strongly after a penniless performance in October against Francis Ngannou, the former UFC heavyweight champion who was boxing professionally for the first time. Fury, 35, was knocked down in the third round of that fight on his way to winning a split decision in the non-title fight.
In the match against Usyk, the “Gypsy King” boxed beautifully in extension, skillfully using feints and long jabs to attack Usyk from a distance. He then frequently delivered a stinging right uppercut that clipped Usyk repeatedly.
Fury unanimously won rounds 5-7 and even began taunting, putting his hands behind his back and smiling at Usyk with each powerful body shot. But Usyk never wavered. He continued to press forward and slowly but surely his pressure weakened Fury.
Usyk was able to get Fury on the ropes and started to find cover for his left hand from above. The same punch that helped him score back-to-back wins over Joshua in 2021 and 2022 to claim the unified heavyweight championship.
Fury entered the ring as the No. 10 boxer in the ESPN rankings and the No. 1 heavyweight. Usyk finished No. 2 in the heavyweight division and No. 3 on a pound-for-pound basis.
The fight was originally scheduled for February 17, but was postponed when Fury suffered an injury during sparring, forcing him to have 11 stitches in his right eye two weeks before the fight. In the match against Usyk, Fury suffered another cut, but this time to his left eye.
Usyk did the damage with his career-best performance following a ninth-round knockout of Daniel Dubois in Poland in August. And he did it in front of Klitschko, who was at ringside, as were Lewis and Holyfield. Klitschko’s brother (and former heavyweight champion) Vitali is the mayor of Kiev.
At the post-fight press conference, Usyk received two flags with the signatures of the Ukrainian military fighting Russian forces on the border.
“These are real heroes,” Krassyuk said. “Usyk fights because of them because they give him the opportunity.”
As the fight with Fury ended, Usyk remembered his behind schedule father, who died just days after Usyk won gold at the 2012 London Olympics. Usyk was unable to give him a medal.
At Sunday’s post-fight press conference, breaking down in tears on the podium, Usyk said: “I know he’s here with me.”
Andrew Moloney (left) attacks Pedro Guevara – photo: Mikey Williams/Top Rank
Few people were more disappointed than Andrew Moloney when Kosei Tanaka lost his WBO super flyweight belt to Phumelele Cafu at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan on Monday night.
The 33-year-old Australian veteran was hoping to get a shot at beating Tanaka in the lucrative Japanese market.
Those dreams were dashed when South Africa’s Cafu delivered the performance of his life, knocking out Tanaka in the fifth round and finishing the fight strongly, beating the four-weight world champion by split decision.
“The plan was to target the WBO and really chase the Tanaka fight, but it all fell apart on Monday night,” Moloney (26-4-1NC, 16 KO) told The Ring. “I think the WBO is probably still the direction we go, but I’m not sure if they have a rematch clause or if Tanaka will take it. But after watching the fight yesterday, I would be really confident that I could fight one of these guys and win. We would like to follow this path.
“I would love to fight Tanaka in Japan as a four-division world champion. He’s definitely someone I’ve looked up to and wanted to fight for a long time.
“Last night was a little hard to watch. The way he performed, I’m more confident than ever that I have what it takes to beat Tanaka.
I assume there will be a rematch and I hope that Tanaka will regain the belt and I will be able to return to the ring and climb the rankings, and maybe this fight will still happen.
Tanaka entered Moloney’s orbit four years ago when he debuted at 115 pounds. Earlier this year, it looked like they were also on a collision course, with Moloney being number one in the WBO rankings. However, when an offer was made for the vacant IBF lightweight title fight between Vasily Lomachenko and George Kambosos Jr. in May in Perth, Western Australia, Moloney felt he couldn’t turn her down.
This decision ended in disaster. Moloney faced Carlos Cuadras, who withdrew from the fight with a ruptured Achilles tendon and was replaced by Pedro Guevara. Moloney entered the fight with a torn bicep and was largely reduced to boxing with one hand, which circumscribed his punching power.
Still, Moloney felt he did more than enough to win, and was shocked when Guevara was declared the winner by split decision. He was so disappointed that he announced immediately after the fight that he was leaving the ring, but a few days later he withdrew these comments.
It was a breakthrough moment in his career.
“Looking back, it’s a wonderful thing, but watching the Tanaka-Cafu fight made me think that maybe I would do a lot of things if I could turn back time a little bit,” Moloney explained.
“Before my last fight, I was number one in the WBO rankings and I rejected the option of waiting to fight Tanaka. But the opportunity arose to fight Guevara in Australia for the interim WBC title on a major card, and to be candid, I kind of regretted that the Tanaka fight was hanging in the balance, but ultimately we decided to stay busy and take the opportunity to fight in Australia.
“Also, the injury before the fight was another thing I thought about: will I undergo surgery, keep the top spot and wait for Tanaka, but I made the decision to go ahead with the fight with Guevara. Looking back now, maybe it wasn’t the smartest thing to do. And looking at the way Tanaka fought last night, I thought maybe I should have waited. I’m sure I could beat Tanaka and take the belt away from him.
“So I take some consolation, but unfortunately you can’t turn back time.”
It’s been a frustrating year for Moloney, but he’s still hitting the gym and his team is working to get him another fight. The window of opportunity to box again this year is closing quickly, but he still hopes to return to the ring in December, most likely in his native Australia.
“I really hope so,” he said. “That’s what I’ve been working on. I have been training strenuous at the gym for some time, quite a few months. I hope to return before the end of the year.
“At this stage it will probably be December. I’m trying to block something, but so far no luck. I’m still training away as if the fight was to take place in December, the team is currently working on it and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that we’ll be able to finish it.
“I just hope we can get out before the end of the year, get back into the winner’s circle and start climbing the rankings again.”
Moloney, who fought at bantamweight for the first three years of his professional career before dropping down to super flyweight, surprisingly, said he would even consider moving up to another weight class given the right opportunity.
“It’s a tough time in the super flyweight division,” said Moloney, the eighth challenger to The Ring’s 115-pound title. “There’s a lot going on and it’s always strenuous to plan which route to take because everything changes so quickly. I’d pick Bam Rodriguez to beat Guevara, then there’s talk of a rematch between Kazuto Ioka and Fernando Martinez on Up-to-date Year’s Eve. And then there’s talk of Bama, if they win, fighting the winner of that game in unification. The WBO seems to me the fastest way to win the title, so that’s the path we will follow.
“We have also rejected for some time the idea of moving up to flyweight and getting crack there. There’s also some engaging scene going on there right now, but it’s still uncertain. I’d probably feel a little better at super flyweight, but we’ll have to wait and see what happens with Cafu and Tanaka, but like I said, I’d feel comfortable and confident against either of them, so hopefully he can make it it will happen sooner rather than later.”
Despite an impressive amateur resume, welterweight Benjamin Johnson of Springdale, Maryland, enters the professional ring with a shoulder injury.
Johnson will face Kevin Pantoja in a four-round fight at Rosecroft Raceway in Fort Washington, Maryland, promoted by his trainer Lamont Roach Snr’s NoXcuses Promotions. The fight will be broadcast on Saturday on ProBox TV.
Johnson, 1-0 (1 KO), spent just 2:23 in the ring in his professional debut, displaying the quick, aggressive hands that won him multiple national titles. However, 19-year-old Johnson feels an advantage, believing he is being overlooked by his NoXcuses Boxing Gym teammates.
Pantoja, 1-1, 27, has never stopped being a professional – Johnson aims to change that.
“People underestimate me,” Johnson said. “It’s been like that since I was an amateur.”
He added that this underestimation increases his motivation in the gym. Johnson is determined to prove his worth not only to himself, but also to those who doubt him or, worse, don’t recognize him. “I never felt like I was recognized as that guy, so I feel like I’m underappreciated,” Johnson said of his amateur and now professional career.
Johnson sees the fight as a key step in his career, compared to feared forward David Benavidez by some teammates and touted by others as one of the most ready-to-fight prospects in the country.
“I train as much as I can,” Johnson said. “It’s about making a statement. The way you win shows people what you’re capable of, and I’m ready to show my best.
David Benavidez’s father, Jose Benavidez Sr., says he wants undisputed lightweight heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev if he can defeat “regular” WBA champion David Morrell in a Jan. 25 fight.
Jose Senior believes Beterbiew would be a good fight for Benavidez (29-0, 24 KO). He would also like his son to have Dmitry Bivol because it would give him a chance to beat someone who beat Canelo Alvarez in 2022.
Jose Sr. is still bitter that Canelo chose not to fight Benavidez all these years, and recently mentioned a $200 million asking price to fight him. If Bivol loses the rematch with Beterbiev, it is not worth fighting him.
Artur Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KO) will be the guy Benavidez fights if he defeats Bivol in a rematch in 2025. The second fight is still not confirmed, but it is likely.
Benavidez’s worst nightmare would be if Beterbiev lost his rematch with Bivol and then the two fighters met in a trilogy fight. Benavidez will have to wait until the third fight between these fighters takes place before he can claim the belts.
“David’s next fight will be David Morrell. Everyone is very excited about it. We tried to make this fight for three years, but I think David Morrell needed a little more experience to show the world that he deserves this fight,” said Jose Benavidez Sr. Probox TV David Benavidez’s next fight with Cuban David Morrell will take place on January 25.
Of course, Team Benavidez hasn’t tried challenging to fight Morrell over the last three years because they’ve been the ones ignoring him. If they wanted a fight with Morrell, it would have happened a long time ago.
They waited until now, after Morrell’s unimpressive performance against Radivoje Kalajdzic on August 3 at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, before deciding they wanted to fight him.
“David called him and said, ‘Hey, I want to do this fight. Let’s make it happen. It was done right away. I’m very excited to fight a newborn talent, a sturdy fighter, and I think it’s going to be a tough fight,” said Jose Senior on how the fight with Morrell ultimately came about.
I hope we get a chance to fight Beterbiev. He won only on Saturday. Hopefully we can achieve that, but right now our focus is on David Morrell. We have to look impressive to get to the next level,” Benavidez Sr. said.
If Benavidez loses to Morrell, Jose Sr. will have to decide which direction to take his son. Will he move it back to 168 pounds or stay at 175, hoping to win one of the belts after Beterbiev’s vacation?
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