Oleksandr Usyk claims undisputed heavyweight championship against Tyson Fury

Boxing as a sport is in its prime as a sport when the best fight the best. Saturday live from Riyadh Saudi Arabia boxing saw its first undisputed heavyweight champion match since Lennox Lewis defeated Evander Holyfield in a rematch in November of 1999 in Las Vegas.

The fight was a throwback of heavyweights yester-years. Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs) survived four stitches over his right eye and a potential broken jaw. Usyk almost finished Fury in Round 9 after he landed 14 flush shots to Fury. The last of those punches caused Fury to slump into the ropes, which held him up. 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.

Usyk entered the night with the WBA, IBF and WBO belts. After his victory he captured Fury's WBC title to become the first undisputed heavyweight champ in the four-belt era. He also became the lineal heavyweight champion, a title Fury had held since 2015 following an upset victory over Usyk's countryman, Wladimir Klitschko. The two fighters signed a two-fight deal for a Oct. 12 rematch in Riyadh, where Fury will look to even the score and move on to a super fight with Anthony Joshua in the first quarter of 2025.

"I believe I won the fight, but I'm not going to sit here and cry and make excuses," said Fury. "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."

Fury fought beautifully and won Rounds 5-7 unanimously, even taunting and putting his hands behind his back and smirking at Usyk. But Usyk never wavered. He continued to press forward and, slowly but surely, his pressure wore down Fury. 

At the post-fight news conference, Usyk was presented two flags signed by the Ukrainian military fighting off Russian forces at the border." They are real heroes," Krassyuk said. "Usyk is fighting because of them, because they give him this possibility."