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Mike Coppinger, ESPN
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — There hadn’t been an undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis defeated Evander Holyfield in a rematch of all-time greats in November 1999 in Las Vegas.
Halfway around the world — and nearly 25 years later — another undisputed champion in boxing’s glamour division was crowned when Oleksandr Usyk floored Tyson Fury in Round 9 en route to a split-decision victory early Sunday at a sold-out Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The wait was well worth it as both men delivered a fight befitting the prize they were competing for.
One judge scored it 114-113 for Fury but was overruled by scores of 114-113 and 115-112 for Usyk, who handed Fury his first professional loss.
“It’s [a] big opportunity for me, for my family, for my country, for history,” said Usyk, who resides in war-torn Ukraine. “It’s [a] great day.”
The two-fight deal for this long-awaited matchup included a planned rematch Oct. 12 in Riyadh, where Fury will look to even the score and move onto a super fight with Anthony Joshua in the first quarter of 2025. He entered the ring following an October win over Francis Ngannou, who also dropped him.
“I believe I won the fight, but I’m not going to sit here and cry and make excuses,” said Fury, who owned a 39-pound and six-inch advantage over Usyk. “I believe he won a few of the rounds, but I won the majority of them. What can you do? We both put on a good fight, the best we could do. … But make no mistake, I won that fight … and I’ll be back. We’ve got a rematch clause.”
Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs) appeared on the brink of finishing Fury in Round 9 after he landed 14 flush shots as the Englishman wobbled around the ring. The last of those punches caused Fury to slump into the ropes, which held him up for the ninth knockdown of his illustrious career.
Before Usyk could pounce on Fury (34-1-1, 24 KOs) following the count, the round ended. And when Round 10 began, Fury had recovered following the minute of rest.