Undisputed! Oleksandr Usyk floors Tyson Fury, holds on to win nail-biter in classic heavyweight bout

Together, Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury  met the moment on Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in the first bout for the undisputed heavyweight championship in a quarter of a century.

In a classic scrap worthy of the most significant prize in the sport, Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs) eked out a split decision victory over Fury (34-1-1, 24 KOs) in a pitched battle between unbeaten champions. It was a heated and back and forth brawl that lifted both men as well as their sport. Boxing is great at moments like these, when the best fighters meet to determine the biggest prize and put on a show for the ages.

Usyk's win came by a razor-thin margin and was thanks to a  knockdown late in the ninth round, when he had Fury reeling along the ropes following a blistering left hand. Mike Fitzgerald had it 114-113 for Usyk. Manuel Oliver Palomo had it 115-112 for the Ukrainian while Craig Metcalfe scored it 114-113 for Fury, giving Usyk the biggest win of his professional life. KevinIole.com had it 115-112 for Usyk. Usyk won each round from 8 through 11 on the cards of Fitzgerald and Palomo, gaining a five-point edge in that span, which was the difference in the outcome.

Fury controlled the early to middle rounds, but Usyk regained command in the eighth and dominated down the stretch to win. He became boxing's first undisputed champion since Lennox Lewis defeated Evander Holyfield in Las Vegas on Nov. 13, 1999. 

The win cemented Usyk's legacy as one of the greatest boxers in his sport's history. He won an Olympic gold medal at heavyweight in 2012, then became the undisputed cruiserweight champion in 2018. On Saturday, he added Fury's WBC belt to become the first heavyweight to ever hold the WBC, IBF, WBA and WBO heavyweight titles at the same time.

Usyk gave up two years in age, six inches in height, seven inches in reach and 38^1/2  pounds of weight, but his heart and his determination are immeasurable. He didn't attend the post-fight news conference because he was taken to the hospital to be examined for a potential broken jaw.

"Ukraine!" Usyk shrieked in a crowded ring not long after the decision was announced, handing the 6-foot-9 Fury his first defeat in 36 professional fights. Usyk's country was invaded in 2022 by Russia and has been at war since, and Usyk dedicated the fight to his countrymen. He joined the military to join in his country's defense immediately upon the invasion, but was given a special dispensation by the government to box.

In his last four fights, he's defeated Anthony Joshua twice, and Daniel Dubois and Fury once apiece to make his place in the boxing history books.

He showed himself to be the complete fighter, shaking off a vicious body shot and nearly stopping Fury in that decisive ninth. Time and again in his career, Fury has arisen from knockdowns to ward off defeat and score a win. This time, though, the smaller man did just enough to earn the victory.

The two signed a two-fight deal last year, and Fury's team of course wanted the rematch.

Usyk, having just come off the fight of his life, had no concerns.

"Yes, of course. Rematch, I am ready!" Usyk said.

Fury thought he'd won, and it looked for a long while if he just may do that. He was ripping Usyk to the body in the first half and keeping a blazing pace, which seemed to catch Usyk by surprise.

Fury also took away Usyk's left hand for a while after Usyk had had great success with it early. He was looking like he'd pull away.

Usyk's toughness and resiliency, though, saved the day and left Fury grousing about the outcome.

"I believe I won that fight," Fury said. "I believe he won a few of the rounds [but] I thought I won a majority of them, and I believe it was a — What can you do? — these are the decisions in boxing. We both put on a good fight, the best we could do. And, you know, his country is at war, so people are siding with the country at war. But, make no mistake, I won that fight, in my opinion, and I’ll be back! I got a rematch clause.”

This is one rematch fans will eagerly anticipate.

Usyk's always been known for pushing the pace, and when he was at his lowest point in the fight, down 68-65 on two cards and 67-66 on a third after the seventh, he sucked it up and managed to raise his game. That's what the greats do, they step up in the biggest moments and there was no bigger moment for Usyk than the sound of the bell to start the eighth.

He shook off the body shots and the wear-and-tear from more than 20 minutes of keeping a giant with a nearly 40-pound weight edge off and took an already brisk pace to another level.

He crushed Fury late in the ninth with a left hand that left the Brit rolling around on the ropes trying to find his balance. 

Referee Mark Nelson could have stopped it as Usyk flurried, but he gave the big man a chance, mindful of his mind-boggling recuperative powers. And when the 10th began, Fury seemed clear-headed and back in the fight. Usyk took the 10th, but Fury gave himself a chance.

Usyk,though, is a rare breed, a guy who has managed to find a way in the darkest of circumstances. When he needed to win the 12th round against Mairis Briedis in 2018 to secure the undisputed cruiserweight title, he stepped up and dominated the 12th.

The cruiserweight title is big in boxing, but you'l struggle to find five casual fans who would name the best cruiserweight in the world now.

The heavyweight division is the one that everyone who has even a remote interest in boxing follows, and Usyk stepped up in the biggest fight of his life when he had to and he got the job done.

He'll probably see Fury again in October, but whenever it happens, it won't be a moment too soon.