At the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh on the early hours of Sunday Morning Tyson Fury squared up against Oleksandr Usyk, the Undisputed Heavyweight Boxing Champion of the World, by Sliver of Decision.

Though Usyk was far smaller than his gargantuan foe, the middle rounds were tough sledding for him. He came back raging and reached win and made Fury to count number during standing in the ninth round.

At 37 years old, Usyk becomes the youngest fighter in heavyweight history to hold all four major belts and the first undisputed USBA champion since Lennox Lewis’ reign ended in April 2000.

Usyk began aggressively and worked Fury out, landing more punches with a bit of speed and accuracy in the early rounds. Usyk had a slow start, but Fury was sluggish in the beginning as well, needing a few rounds to get into the fight and asserting himself in the fourth round. He began to behave like a usual showman, harm him and incite Usyk while throwing strong punches to the body. It takes superhuman strength to endure the beating and come out unscathed, which Usyk did. He fought back with daggers of words that could cut deep and were a direct retribution of the skills and power the other man had left behind. This kept the fight balanced and entertaining for the audience due to the Ukrainian’s capacity to handle Fury’s hurricane and counterattack in appropriate intervals.

Round 8 saw massive shifts in the game with Usyk switching things up. He took the command of the ring with an energy and speed attack and quick movements jabs were so precise and effective that Fury reacted visibly. Usyk dominated Fury in the 9th round as it seemed the Ukrainian was not going to stop punching until he dethroned the Brit. The commentator remarked how Usyk’s continuous head punches made many in the audience believe that the referee was going to stop the fight.

Fury who was previously undefeated remained strong until the end despite losing the fight. He demonstrated some glimpses of the usual tough Tim Slynn we know as he hung on till the bell. It was however an exhausting experience for him in the last three rounds. Feeling victorious, Usyk aggressively advanced towards Fury, delivering punches that stumped his opponent and weakened his defense.

At the conclusion of the fight, it was obvious that Usyk was on top because of his relentless pursuit and tactical dominance. His superiority in latter rounds of the fight was evident in score cards as he was announced the winner by split decision. Usyk’s domination proved that he is the true heavyweight champion and boasts the right attitude and discipline in the ring.

“Thank you so much. … It’s a big opportunity for me, for my family, for my country. … It’s a great time, it’s a great day,” In a post-fight interview in the ring, a distraught Usyk stated that he would give Fury an instant rematch.

“I miss my father and I said to him ‘you live there and I live here, please don’t come for me, I love you, For me it is hard when my father comes back to me because I remember all life. I know he is here, maybe sitting out there,” With a gesture toward the press room, he flexed his arms and wiped his eyes with his shirt.