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.”
World Boxing News wishes all its readers, boxing fans and supporters of this sport a Merry Christmas.
The year 2024 was great again, with many huge fights and massive events taking place in the sport. Oleksandr Usyk ruled the year with two wins over Tyson Fury and won the WBN Fighter of the Year award for the second time in three years.
Saudi Arabia continued to be a force in the sport as streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime increased competition for DAZN’s original streamers.
Next year promises to be another essential year. Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol 2 and David Benavidez .vs. David Morrell has already been confirmed to play in the spring. Mexican star Canelo Alvarez will review his Cinco De Mayo plans next month and add more to the schedule.
Boxing fans have a lot to look forward to, and WBN aims to bring you all the most essential news as we celebrate our fifteenth year in 2025. WBN will take a miniature break until December 27, when we will return to continue the work we started in 2010.
We wish everyone a special time during the holiday season and see you when the weekend begins.
Take care of yourself – Phil Jay, WBN editor-in-chief.
Before we come back, read some of our latest headlines.
UFC heavyweight boxing fans want wins in FOUR seconds
Melancholy ending for Mike Tyson as Jake Paul fight fails to beat Canelo
Gervonta Davis is wreaking havoc with her latest outburst
Kickboxer, 51-0, Floyd Mayweather by KO close to the WBC title
The UFC heavyweight flop, having lost two of his three fights in the company, made a spectacular return to the win column.
Cuban Robelis Despaigne, who caused disappointment among boxing fans by signing a contract with Dana White, may return to the market. Despaigne moved on to Karate Combat on December 19 and continued his astonishing KO record.
Before entering White’s octagon earlier this year, Despaigne scored his fourth consecutive MMA knockout victory in 37 seconds. “Substantial Boy” sent shockwaves through the striking side of combat sports, and it was expected that Despaigne would sign a contract with a boxing promoter to see how far his strength would take him.
The 36-year-old has little time to prove his worth in any other code after the UFC grabbed a ponderous hitter and then fired him. Despaigne won his UFC debut against Josh Parisian in just 18 seconds and went to the ground.
At six-foot-seven with an 86-inch reach, Despaigne had the longest arms in UFC history and was tipped to be a UFC title contender. There was hope then that Despaigne could follow Ngannou into boxing and make an impact.
However, his UFC career fell apart when he faced opponents with above-average preparation work. Two defeats to Austen Lane in October and Waldo Cortes-Acosta in May made White wash his hands of Despaigne.
WBN then speculated that a promoter from the United States could get Despaigne and accelerate his boxing career. Weeks passed and it seemed that Despaigne was damaged goods. Last week, he signed a contract with Dominik Jędrzejczyk at the Karate Combat 51 gala in Miami, Florida, still looking for an opportunity to make mega money.
Getting back to winning ways was imperative and Despaigne did not disappoint. He knocked out Jedrzejczyk within seconds, giving his last six KO victories in a total of 59 seconds. Despaigne landed one kick and one punch to achieve an unreal triumph in just four seconds. The knockout was the fastest in the history of Karate Combat.
Despaigne could push the boundaries of the sport if a boxing company is willing to take the risk, and perhaps he can do what Francis Ngannou did. Ngannou earned $30 million in two fights against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
Oddly enough, the PFL may now be interested in fielding Despaigne against Ngannou next year. PFL’s gain would then be boxing’s loss.
Looking back at Kimbo Slice and his boxing performances, there was concern among boxing promoters. However, Despaigne could fight six or seven times a year to raise his profile and become a phenomenon. That is, if he can do what he has done in other combat sports, similar to boxers who also train.
It’s up to lesser-known promoters to make the decision, as no one at the top of the sport will want to get burned like the UFC.
After the boxing legend’s defeat, a video has been circulating online showing Mike Tyson allegedly crying during his fight with Jake Paul.
World Boxing News obtained a copy of the clip despite not watching the fight due to the nature of the 27-year-old YouTuber beating up on the 58-year-old boxing legend. However, the incident was captured during the rounds when Tyson made what appeared to be a whimper while sitting on a stool.
Since then, debate has raged over whether Tyson actually screamed or just felt pain for a split second, causing him to wince. After reviewing the evidence, it’s difficult to be sure, considering Tyson has openly talked about crying in the past.
One fan said, “Tyson was crying like a baby,” while another said, “Mike was just catching his breath,” offering differing opinions.
Paul defeated Tyson on points over ten rounds as the former heavyweight champion paced around the ring, looking lost at times. Netflix broadcast the event amid groans from fans over the broadcast quality as Tyson lost for the seventh time in his career and couldn’t get out of fifth gear.
Tyson spoke out after his most humiliating defeat, explaining that he almost didn’t make it to the ring. The Fresh Yorker was content to be able to climb between the ropes one last time.
“It’s one of those situations where you lost but you still won. I’m grateful for last night. I don’t regret entering the ring for the last time,” Tyson wrote. “I almost died in June. He had eight blood transfusions. I lost half my blood and 25 pounds in the hospital and had to fight to get better to fight, so I won.
“My children seeing me stand shoulder to shoulder and finish eight innings with a talented fighter half my age in front of a packed Dallas Cowboy Stadium is an experience no man could ask for,” he once said. .
Tyson told his fans on FOX Sports Radio last week that he doesn’t remember much about the loss.
“I don’t remember that fight very well. But somehow I lost consciousness. I didn’t watch the fight,” he said. “You know what I remember, when I came back from the first round, Jake was doing some kind of bow. That’s the last thing I remember.”
On what he did after the defeat, Tyson added: “I wasn’t tired, I wasn’t sweaty. I went to the house where we lived. I went out with my wife and kids, went to the after-party and came back.”
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