“Thank you so much for my my team,” Usyk says. “Thank you so much, my God, Jesus. Mister Excellency, thank you. It’s big opportunity for me, for my family, for my country.”
He adds: “It’s a great day.”
Oleksandr Usyk wins by split decision over Tyson Fury!
Michael Buffer reads the judges’ scorecards. The first: 115-112 for Usyk. The second: 114-113 for Fury. The third: 114-113 … for Oleksandr Usyk!
Usyk is the first undisputed heavyweight champion of world since Lennox Lewis a quarter-century ago.
Round 12
Fury needs to step to Usyk in this final round and he’s not doing it. Usyk is coming forward in the opening half of this final round, landing one left hand after another, putting a stamp on a performance for the ages. An exhiliaring performance between the two best heavyweights on the planet. We’ll wait for the official cards.
Guardian’s unofficial score: Fury 9-10 Usyk (Fury 111-116 Usyk)
Round 11
Usyk continues to land the cleaner, more effective shots. Both fighters clearly gassed with three minutes to go. Can the former cruiserweight champion close the show to hand Fury the first defeat of his professional career? The Gypsy King has rebounded admirably from the ninth-round abyss, but he almost definitely needs a knockout to keep his belts.
Guardian’s unofficial score: Fury 9-10 Usyk (Fury 102-106 Usyk)
Fury has 60 seconds to recover from that battering. Can he survive this round? Fury could have easily been stopped that last round, but the third man Nelson did well to measure the occasion of the moment. Usyk is not pressing the issue, giving Fury precious space to recover. Usyk scoring with sparing overhand lefts, consistently. Usyk did enough there to win the round on activity, but it might go down as a fatal mistake after he gave Fury three minutes to recover from the brink of defeat.
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The blood is bothering Fury. Usyk has found purchase with the overhand left, a punch we haven’t seen much from him tonight. Fury has been rattled! Usyk unloads with a barrage of shots with Fury trapped along the ropes and Fury is in serious trouble! He’s stumbling all over the ring! The referee might stop it! We’ve never seen him hurt this badly! He stumbles and falls back into the corner and referee Mark Nelson calls it a knockdown! He’s down for the eighth time in his career! Makes it to his feet but he’s been saved by the bell!
Usyk lands a crunching right hand upstairs and Fury wipes his nose. The Ukrainian is back in this! He’s battering Fury, rallying back to dominate the exchanges. Usyk lands a massive right hand that appears to have damaged Fury’s right eye, opening a cut. Fury bleeding! Usyk is digging in like the great fighters do! Fury’s body language not great. A classic in the offing with four scheduled rounds to go.
Fury remains in control for the opening half of the seventh, but superior output from Usyk as he continues to try and find a way to work his way inside. Usyk lands a very hard left with Fury cornered near the end of the round, but Fury throws back immediately and with flair. It was just enough to nick a close round for the Ukrainian. Notably, Usyk has all but given up his work to the body.
