Oleksandr Usyk downed Tyson Fury by split decision in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday to become the undisputed heavyweight champion.
Usyk (22-0-0, 14 KOs) had two judges on his side, earning scores of 114-113 and 115-112, while Fury (34-1-1, 24 KOs) won over the other judge, 114-113.
With the victory, Usyk cemented himself as the first undisputed heavyweight champion in nearly 25 years. Lennox Lewis was the last boxer to accomplish the feat thanks to a win over Evander Holyfield in 1999.
A native of Ukraine, Usyk took time after that fight to support his country.
“Since 2008, I was planning for this. It’s not for my win, it’s for my God, my supporters, my country, the Ukrainian soldiers, Ukrainian mother and father, children,” Usyk said. “I want to go to my home, I want to rest, a break, I want to eat, sleep, kiss my wife.”
Meanwhile, Fury, an Englishman, attributed the loss to the war between Ukraine and Russia, stating that the judges took the side Usyk supports into account.
“I believe I won that fight, I believe he won a few of the rounds, but I won the majority of them,” Fury said. “We both put on a good fight. His country is at war, so people are siding with the country at war.
“Make no mistake, I won that fight in my opinion. We’ve got a rematch clause. I’ve had a split-decision loss to a good little man. We run it back in October. Well done, Oleksandr.”
The rematch between the two boxers is set for Oct. 12 in Riyadh.
–Field Level Media