By Ricardo Lezama 
In yet another coup for Riyadh Season, the world observed from afar with interest as the two best heavyweights stepped into the ring and provided a competitive fight in the division. Crossing promotional lines, difficult venues and even some criminal issues surrounding Fury’s connection to the Kinahan, a fight that had to happen took place with no respect for anything other than the fight itself.
The Ukrainian, Oleksandr Usyk, 35, after nearly knocking out Tyson Fury during the 9th round, is now the Undisputed Heavyweight champion of the world after a very competitive fight with the Briton. Fury’s record is now (33-1-1), leaving him without a WBC and Ring magazine heavyweight belt while Usyk’s record is now (22-0-0) and is boxing’s first undisputed heavyweight in more than 24 years! The impressive lack of professional fights from Usyk should not surprise anyone who’s familiar with Usyk’s amateur pedigree. Usyk is the recipient of a 2008 Gold Olympic medal.
Narrative of the Fight
Nonetheless, Fury was able to eke out a Split Decision loss for a reason….the official scores were as follows: ref: Mark Nelson, Mike Fitzgerald 114-113 Craig Metcalfe 113-114 Manuel Oliver Palomo 115-112, with the widest margin going for Usyk, but Fury was competitive in most if not all the rounds except the 9th.
If one looks at the early phase of the fight, Usyk was always placing key lead rights on the mid-section of Fury whose body is somewhat prone to this kind of damage. From round 1 to round 2, Usyk set the tone of his body work, but had to weather Fury’s speed, timing and unique movement from round 3 to round 7 (roughly).
Either way, we saw a world class display of power boxing from both sides that seemed to showcase the best of both fighters.
5th Round Fury
At times brazenly in control, Tyson Fury was also able to land several crucial body shots on Usyk, which left the smaller fighter wobbled at times during the middle rounds of the fight. Fury would place his hands behind his back from a safe distance, perform the rope a dope and also control the inside when his stamina was not an issue.
In the fith round, Tyson Fury was landing upper cuts that stopped Usyk in his tracks. he was also able to connect to Usyk’s body so often, slapping Usyk back and applying a quick 1-2 punch sequencey straight at Usyk while the Ukrainian kept a high guard that blunted some of the attack or, at least, let him keep some composure.
The Sixth Round
Tyson Fury had a great sixth round where he knocked Usyk off balance, landing a great upper cut several times over the course of the 4th and 6th rounds. In fact, Tyson landed several thudding shots to the body, some that strayed a bit low, but these were significant because it kept the fight very competitive.
The Big Moment!
For many, the pivotal moment of the fight in round 9, Tyson Fury was held up by the ropes after Usyk landed a hard shot on chin whilst Fury left himself too tall and exposed. Nevertheless, Fury’s energy in the middle part of the fight was a clear distinction, his upper cut for a while was landing at will and hurting Usyk.
Check out the highlights from ‘Girls Fish Too’: usykvsfuryresults.com
Who Won The Usyk vs Fury Fight?
Oleksander Usyk dominated the early phase of the fight, connecting several right hands to Tyson Fury’s midsection. From round 3 to 7, Tyson could be seen taking over against Usyk, with quick combinations that displayed Fury’s power and tricky boxing abilities.
Usyk, however, landed the perfect left hand spot on at Tyson Fury’s chin and dazed the 6 ft 9-inch Briton known as the Gypsy King. This shot pictured below resulted in Fury receiving a 10 count as he was visibly stunned, hurt and held up by the ropes after a series of more head shots were landed by Usyk. The big man Fury recovered on his stool.
Even so, for the next several rounds after that fateful turn in the 9th round, Usyk dominated the mid-range distance and landed at will until the 12th round, when Fury seemed to regain his compusre.
