By Myrek Zastavnyi
Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk defeated Britain’s Tyson Fury to become the first undisputed world heavyweight champion of the 21st century. Before moving up to heavyweight, Usyk was also the undisputed champion in the cruiserweight division. Thus, by unifying all the belts in the heavyweight category, Oleksandr Usyk became only the third boxer in modern history with four championship titles to become “undisputed” in different weight categories.
Undisputed world champions in different weight categories (four-belt era):
– Terence Crawford – light welterweight (August 2017) and welterweight (July 2023)
– Naoya Inoue – bantamweight (December 2022) and super bantamweight (December 2023)
– Oleksandr Usyk – cruiserweight (July 2018) and heavyweight (May 2024)
In the history of men’s boxing in the four-belt era, only nine athletes have managed to become “undisputed”.
The fight took place on the night of May 19 in the capital of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh. In the final two rounds, both opponents did not achieve clear results. The bout ended after the 12th round. Now Oleksandr Usyk holds all the belts – WBA, WBO, IBF, IBO, and WBC. The Ukrainian boxer is the first undisputed heavyweight champion to hold all the belts. The last time the undisputed heavyweight title was held was by Lennox Lewis in 1999. Usyk became the first to hand Fury his first career loss. “Father, do you hear? We did it!” were Oleksandr Usyk’s first words after the fight.
Usyk demonstrated the resilience and uniqueness of Ukrainians not only in the ring but also behind the scenes of the fight in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) – notably with his appearance. He attended the weigh-in ceremony in a bright red embroidered shirt featuring an image of Ukrainian warrior Oleksandr Matsievsky, a symbol of Ukrainian valor.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky congratulated the Ukrainian boxer on his victory. “Ukrainians hit hard! And in the end, all our opponents will be overcome. A tough fight that proves: Ukrainian endurance and strength lead to Ukrainian victory. Congratulations, champion! Congratulations, country! Glory to Ukraine,” Zelensky wrote in an Instagram post.
