The legendary boxer is confident that this historic victory is important not only for Usik, but for the whole of Ukraine
Legendary Ukrainian boxer, former world heavyweight champion Vladimir Klichko commented on the victory of his compatriot Alexandra Usika over the Briton Tyson Fury in a unification battle for the title of absolute heavyweight champion.
“This historic victory is important not only for Oleksandr Usyk. Can you imagine the pressure this man has been under in recent weeks and here in the ring? Losing was definitely not an option. He once showed that he was great in the heavyweight division, but what is even more surprising to many people, and no matter how big, tall, heavy, how mobile or with what arm span, Tyson Fury showed that he is the best fighter in modern history”.
“I am very proud of Oleksandr Usyk and very proud to be Ukrainian.”
“When you count points, you can’t be 100 percent confident in boxing, and the judges made a decision in this fight the way Oleksandr Usyk deserved it. Undoubtedly an outstanding performance from both fighters. I’m surprised Tyson Fury managed to last until the end of the fight after the ninth round, but he did it. Let’s give him his due.”
“The most important thing is that Alexander stood firm and did what he had to do, becoming the heavyweight champion of the world. Ukrainian world heavyweight champion,” Klitschko emphasized.
Let us remember that on the night of May 19, Usik inflicted the first defeat in his professional career on Fury in a fight that took place at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia). In the ninth round, Alexander knocked down the “Gypsy King” deeply, and only the referee’s intervention prevented the fight from ending ahead of schedule. As a result, the victory was awarded to the Ukrainian by a split decision: 115-112, 113-114 and 114-113.
As the statistics of the fight show, Fury threw more punches, but Usik hit more often (including with powerful punches) and was much more accurate and effective. This was especially noticeable in the second half of the fight, when the Briton seriously lost. At the same time, Alexander set a record: never before had the “Gypsy King” missed so many blows in one fight (170); the previous record (127) belonged to Otto Wallin.
Usik became the first absolute world heavyweight champion in the era of four belts. In the heavyweight division, the last time Lennox Lewis held absolute status was in 1999, but then three titles were enough for this title.
Alexander is the second boxer in history after Evander Holyfield, who was the absolute world champion in cruiserweight and heavyweight. Also, the Ukrainian boxer became the third (after Terence Crawford and Naoya Inoue) in the era of four prestigious titles to become the absolute champion in two weight categories.
It was reported that an agreement had been reached between Usyk and Fury for a re-fight. The Chairman of the General Authority of Entertainment of Saudi Arabia, Turki Al al-Sheikh, stated that the rematch between Alexander and Tyson is scheduled for October 12-13 in Riyadh.
Source: Sportarena
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