By Victor Kanayo
Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk early Sunday morning defeated Tyson Fury to remain the undisputed Champion in the heavyweight category.
Following the victory, Usyk retained his WBA, WBO and WBC world heavyweight titles by a unanimous decision against Fury in an enthralling contest at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Usyk prevailed over the course of 12 intense rounds as momentum shifted first from one then to the other, thereafter made history as he became the undisputed heavyweight world champion, the first in 25 years since the reign of Lennox Lewis.
Usyk had handed Fury a first professional defeat earlier this year.
Two-time world champion Fury has only ever lost to Usyk, his two defeats the major blemishes on a record also consisting of 34 wins and one draw.
Reacting, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hailed Oleksandr Usyk’s victory over Tyson Fury, calling it proof that Ukraine “will not give up what’s ours”.
“Victory!” Zelenskyy said in a post on Telegram. “So important and so necessary for all of us now”.
Ukraine remains locked in a war nearly three years after Russia invaded, but Zelenskyy said Usyk’s triumph was a mark of Ukrainian resiliency and determination.
