There hadn’t been an undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis defeated Evander Holyfield in a rematch of all-time greats in November 1999 in Las Vegas.
Halfway around the world — and nearly 25 years later — another undisputed champion in boxing’s glamour division was crowned when Oleksandr Usyk floored Tyson Fury in Round 9 en route to a split-decision victory early Sunday at sold-out Kingdom Arena.
The wait was well worth it as both men delivered a fight befitting the prize they were competing for.
One judge scored it 114-113 for Fury but was overruled by scores of 114-113 and 115-112 for Usyk, who handed the Englishman his first professional loss.
“It’s [a] big opportunity for me, for my family, for my country, for history,” said Usyk, who resides in war-torn Ukraine. “It’s [a] great day.”
“I believe I won the fight, but I’m not going to sit here and cry and make excuses,” said Fury, who owned a 39-pound and six-inch advantage over Usyk. “I believe he won a few of the rounds, but I won the majority of them. What can you do? We both put on a good fight, the best we could do. … People are siding with the country at war. But make no mistake, I won that fight … and I’ll be back. We’ve got a rematch clause.”
