Despite being moved due to a training-related facial injury sustained by Fury, the immensely anticipated heavyweight championship fight between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk took place on May 18, 2024, at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
An epic conclusion occurred after this historic “Ring of Fire” boxing fight, resulting in the Ukrainian taking home the title and becoming the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world via a split decision.
This epic battle between these two boxing legends has made waves throughout the boxing world as Usyk became the first four-belt undisputed boxing heavyweight champion and the first undisputed champion since 1999.
Join the experts at casinoonlineca.ca as we go through the events that transpired before the fight took place, analyse expert predictions, and look at its impact on the boxing world and the heavyweight division.
Pre-Hype Fight
Even since the fight was first scheduled months previously on February 17, 2024, there was already a lot of media buzz and social media fan-fare surrounding it. The stakes were also higher with the winner gaining four major heavyweight titles, namely the WBC, WBA, IBF, and the WBO.
The historical significance and impact of this fight not only to the boxing world but also to both fighters cannot be understated.
Tyson Fury, a seasoned boxer who already made an impressive career in the boxing world, felt the significance of this upcoming fight because this win would’ve solidified his place as one of the greatest heavyweight boxers in history.
On the other hand, this fight would also be a game-changer for Usyk because aside from potentially being one of the greatest heavyweights of all time, this win could bring significant national pride to his home country of Ukraine.
Expert Predictions
In the time leading up to the famed Fury vs. Usyk boxing match, several professional boxers gave their thoughts on how they expected the fight to go and who they thought would win.
An overwhelming majority stated that they expect Fury to win this match. In our previous Usyk vs. Fury predictions and analysis, we also expected the same outcome. Our team of experts at CasinoOnlineCA believed that Fury would overpower Usyk because of his sheer size and weight difference compared to the Ukrainian boxer. We expressed that Fury should use that to his advantage.
Legendary boxers, such as Joe Joyce, Anthony Joshua, Lennox Lewis, Evander Holyfield, and a handful of boxing pros also gave their predictions and thoughts on this “fight of the century”.
Joe Joyce
Joyce had a 50/50 prediction on this match-up, stating that although Usyk is more skillful and more frequent when throwing punches, Fury still has a height and reach advantage. Although he was not sure who would win, he was sure of one thing—Fury and Usyk will eventually have a rematch after this fight.
Anthony Joshua and Evander Holyfield
Joshua and Holyfield both share the same insights as Joyce, stating that this fight is a fight of size vs. skill. According to them, Usyk is a highly skilled and technical fighter with a very good boxing IQ, while Fury has a clear height, weight, and reach advantage.
Such glaring but advantageous characteristics of both fighters made it difficult to predict the winner.
Lennox Lewis
The legendary boxer, Lennox Lewis, has made a stand in the fight as well. He believed that Fury would have the upper hand due to not only his size but also his elusive boxing style.
Carl Frampton
For former two-weight world champion Carl Frampton, he stays steadfast in his belief that Fury will come out as the victor after this fight. He stated that he believes that Fury is primed and ready to face Usyk. Frampton even stated that Fury is very serious and confident about this fight.
Post-Fight Expert Opinions
On May 18, 2024, at the famed Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, after the Ring of Fire match between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, boxing history was made. Through a razor-close split decision of 115-112, 114-113, and 114-113 on the judges’ scorecards, the Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk defeated British boxer Tyson Fury.
He was crowned the new undisputed heavyweight boxing champion of the world and the very first four-belt undisputed heavyweight champion after their 12-round fight.
Despite his undisputed heavyweight victory, Oleksandr Usyk faces losing the IBF belt. Filip Hrgovic, the mandatory challenger, has waited for his shot. The IBF might strip Usyk or force him to vacate the title to keep the division moving.
Expert Opinions
The results have garnered many mixed reactions from fans of both fighters.
The international boxing community all agree that the match between the two fighters was a close one, with Fury displaying his size and aggressive style while Usyk showing his technical skill and strategic prowess.
Many professional boxers and fighters shared their thoughts on social media on what they think of the legendary match.
Eddie Hearn
Eddie Hearn praised Usyk for earning the split-decision win over Fury stating that “the right man won”. He went on to say that although it looked like Fury was controlling the fight during the first six rounds, he commented that in the ninth round, Usyk was able to turn the tables and deal massive damage to Fury.
Connor McGregor
MMA fighter and UFC legend, Connor McGregor, also expressed the same opinion in his post about the fight. In his Instagram post, he exclaimed “A mad hiding!” and “What next, who knows”. His support leans toward Usyk as he knows the Ukrainian would have won the fight and is eagerly expecting the rematch of these two boxing heavyweights.
Anthony Joshua
Anthony Joshua, the two-time former unified world heavyweight champion, stated that he thought that Usyk won the fight quite easily. He expressed amazement at Fury’s fantastic boxing during the fight but said that Usyk was just simply “incredible.”
Amanda Serrano
A very enthusiastic Amanda Serrano, the unified featherweight world champion, celebrated alongside fans of Usyk on the Ukrainian’s victory after the match, showing extreme joy and pride for Usyk’s victory.
The Conclusion of the Fight
This fight of the century can result in many implications for the international heavyweight division of boxing. First, this fight has undoubtedly affected both fighters’ legacies. The two will be remembered in boxing history for this legendary and epic fight.
For Usyk, this has finally solidified his status as one of the new fighters who dominated in multiple weight divisions. Second, the results of this fight can have serious influences on the divisional rankings and matchups of the heavyweight division.
A major reshuffling of contenders in the division might be needed to match the height and fanfare of this legendary match. Lastly, huge interest may be generated from fans for future matches in the heavyweight division, particularly for sports bettors, especially now that the increase in online options like VIP Bitcoin casinos has made sports betting easier.
Conclusion
The historical and contemporary significance of this intense fight of the century can’t be understated. It is without a doubt that Usyk and Fury both showed their all during this match.
At the end of the fight, Usyk showed indomitable will to win. This eventually resulted in him walking away victorious, being the first four-belt undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.
