Oleksandr Usyk defeated Tyson Fury via split decision to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion in 25 years – an unprecedented feat in the four-belt era of boxing.
Fury was the first aggressor in Saudi Arabia on Sunday but Usyk gradually took charge and the ‘Gypsy King’ was saved by the bell in the ninth round before slumping to his first career defeat.
Ukrainian Usyk joins the likes of Muhammad Ali, Joe Louis and Mike Tyson as undisputed heavyweight champion. He is the first to unify the title since boxing recognized four major belts in the 2000s.
With the victory, the former undisputed cruiserweight champion can rightly claim to be the best of this era, although a rematch, expected in October, could bring a new twist.
Britain’s Lennox Lewis was the last man to unify the heavyweight titles – three at once – after defeating Evander Holyfield in 1999.
