Oleksandr Usyk became the first four-belt undisputed champion after a split-decision points win against Tyson Fury on a truly dramatic night in Saudi Arabia.
The scorecards read 115-112 and 114-113 for the Ukrainian, with a third judge scoring it 114-113 to Fury to consign the 35-year-old British boxer to his first defeat in his 16-year professional career.
In a tense wait for the scorecards to be read out, Fury looked confident of victory, but it was the Ukrainian who collapsed in ecstasy as the judges awarded him a historic win.
Still in a fury, Fury said, “I believe he won a few of the rounds, but I won the majority,”
“It was one of the daftest decisions in boxing. I’ll be back.”
He will get an immediate opportunity to exert revenge with a rematch planned for later this year, but until then, Usyk will take the WBC belt from Fury to add to his WBA, WBO, and IBF collections.
The 37-year-old remains unbeaten and is the first boxer in over two decades to be the sport’s sole heavyweight world champion and he’ll certainly enter the conversation to be considered as one of boxing’s all-time greats.
“Thank you so much to my team. It’s a big opportunity for my family, for me, for my country. It’s a great time, a great day,” Usyk said.
The contest was nothing like the dull, strategic, and cautious match some pundits had predicted. It truly lived up to its hype in the full capacity Kingdom Arena, which included celebrities like footballer Cristiano Ronaldo and former champions Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield.
To boxing enthusiasts, the heavyweight title is considered as the most important prize in sports, and the 6ft 3in Ukrainian fighter left the ring, standing tall with all four belts across his frame.