The biggest fight of the 21st century, with two undefeated boxers and one eventual victor just played out at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh. Oleksandr Usyk cemented his legacy as one of the greatest on May 18 when he defeated Tyson Fury and became the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the 21st century.

‘The Gypsy King’ walked into the squared circle with the sole intention of imposing his will on a relatively smaller Usyk. However, that didn’t go exactly as planned as Usyk brought his A-game, and his skills and quick pair of hands proved enough to do the unthinkable. Notably, the Ukrainian boxer bagged the win and secured all 4 major straps with a split-decision victory.

Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury: Fought their hearts out

Fury, looking loose, entered the fight and seized up his opponent. However, Usyk remained focused and drew the first blood as his left reached Fury’s temple, evoking amusing reactions from Fury in the first round. He did the same in the initial seconds of the second round. Fury again tried to laugh it off, to not let Usyk have a slight impression that his left was working. Meanwhile, Fury fought largely on the back foot and tried to use jabs and body blows to maintain the distance and negate Usyk’s relentless pressure.

In the third round, the story remained the same. Usyk went for the body shots, catching him lacking with his left, whereas Fury employed jabs to maintain the distance, fighting on the hind legs. But slowly, Fury found his groove and floated around as he bagged the third round. He built on it in the next round, as he landed lefts and mixed uppercuts, showing off and teasing his opponent.

Whenever in trouble, Fury resorted to clinching and made Usyk tire out. Meanwhile, Usyk spent the whole fifth round adjusting and responding. The troubles only increased in the next round, as Usyk’s uppercuts had him wobbling on his feet and hurting. The British boxer then mixed clinching and uppercuts while keeping the Ukrainian at a distance, which made Usyk think on his feet in the seventh round. In the next round, Usyk relied on exchanges, changed the levels, and pulled himself back into the fight. His right also opened a cut on Fury.

The Ukrainian fighter had Fury rattled in the ninth round as he caught him with a left hook, which had worked so well for him throughout the fight. He would follow it with body blows and chase Fury around the ring. However, Fury was saved by the bell. Usyk used the same game plan in the championship rounds and emerged victorious in a closely contested fight.

‘The Cat’ bags another legendary Heavyweight’s title

UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones wondered whether the fight should have been stopped when Usyk had Fury rocked and down on one knee in the ninth round.

Jake Paul‘s business partner, Mams Taylor, also wondered the same as he believed Fury had a close call and the referee saved him from the embarrassment of a KO loss.

Meanwhile, Dillon Danis gave it to Fury for not giving up and showing up a big heart. Fury absorbed every heavy blow that Usyk landed on him and never gave up despite coming close to getting knocked out on multiple occasions.

Amanda Serrano celebrated the new dawn in the heavyweight boxing as Usyk commenced his reign as an undisputed heavyweight champion and as a lineal world champion.

BJ Flores mentioned that Usyk had beat down Fury as the Ukrainian boxer boxed Fury. Notably, Usyk led in power punches 21 to 12 and had landed 170 punches, the most by any opponent against Fury.

Erickson Lubin drew a parallel with Fury’s fight with Francis Ngannou, where the former UFC champion had Fury rocked and never allowed him to implement his clinching game.

Oscar De La Hoya announced Usyk as “baddest man on the planet,” the title which once belonged to Mike Tyson and since then has been associated with heavyweight champions.

Ariel Helwani reported Fury’s post-fight comments which suggests that he believed that Usyk had won the fight on sympathy rather than the merit. The Manchester native specified that people were siding with Usyk due to the current Russia-Ukraine situation.

What do you think of this amusing fight between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury? Do you believe the victor will maintain his titles, or will we see belts changing hands next? Let us know in the comments below.