Boxing has a new undisputed heavyweight champion after a Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk fight which lived up to the billing in every way possible.
Usyk (now 22-0) overcame ‘The Gypsy King’ (34-1-1) by the closest of split decisions after 12 rounds of gripping drama inside the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday night.
The Ukrainian, who had already become undisputed king in the cruiserweight division, completed his professional dream by turning round a fight he appeared to be losing conclusively after seven rounds.
READ MORE: Latest heavyweight rankings after epic Fury vs Usyk superfight
With Fury boxing beautifully and Usyk looking smaller and weaker, Oleksandr bit down hard on his gumshield and showed the skill and heart of a champion to hold sway in the closing five rounds.
The key moment of the fight came in Round 9 when he had Fury out on his feet with a vicious assault which led to the Morecambe man receiving a standing count after being held up by the ropes. The resulting 10-8 round transformed the result from a draw to a Usyk win on the scorecards.
Afterwards the punch stats from long-time boxing statisticians Compubox revealed the key factor in Usyk’s win – the 37-year-old landed the cleaner, harder punches all night. It wasn’t just that one round – it was throughout the bout.
Usyk power decides the fight
Usyk landed a fantastic 46.9% of his power punches for a total of 122, while overall he hit home with 170 shots of 407 on the night (41.8%). That 170 figure is the highest number of punches landed on Tyson Fury by any opponent in the pros.
The swing in the last five rounds was also clear from the stats, with Usyk in particular dominating with his combinations – including 12-1 and 10-1 landslides in Rounds 10 and 11.
READ MORE: The current heavyweight title picture after Fury vs Usyk, and what happens next
Fury actually threw more punches in the fight but landed less – 157 of 496 for 31.7%. More importantly he was outlanded 66-32 in terms of power shots over that crucial closing five-round stretch.
In short it was a fight which Usyk pulled out of the fire from Round 8 on by landing hard and often while Fury’s output waned significantly. Mainly after that brutal attack that saw his senses scrambled late in Round 9.
An epic fight, and we cannot wait to see them run it back. Bring on October…
