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fter defeating Tyson Fury in the historic “Ring of Fire” match during “Riyadh Season”
In the presence of His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, Minister of Sports, and HE Turki bin Abdulmohsen Alalshikh, Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority (GEA), and in an event witnessed by the world as part of “Riyadh Season”, Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk clinched the “Ring of Fire” title at “Kingdom Arena” in the Saudi capital, Riyadh. He achieved this by defeating British boxer Tyson Fury with a split decision by the judges, maintaining his undefeated record in the heavyweight category. Usyk emerged as the undisputed world champion and collected the four belts in a unification battle of the most significant global organizations in the world of boxing, including the World Boxing Association (WBA), the World Boxing Council (WBC), the International Boxing Federation (IBF), and the World Boxing Organization (WBO).
Before the start of the historic fight, which was packed with fans from around the world who came to witness this exceptional day in the world of boxing, the national anthem of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was played. Following this, American rapper JID performed a musical set, and then the national anthems of Ukraine and Britain were played consecutively. Afterward, the boxers entered the ring to be introduced to the audience.
In the fight attended by several sports and entertainment figures, caution was evident from the boxers as they exchanged consecutive punches. As they entered the third round, Tyson Fury attempted to land more hits, countered by Oleksandr Usyk’s clear dodging and significant intervention by the referee to break up an illegal clinch. The cautious rhythm continued, with Fury having a clear advantage until the eighth round, when Usyk launched a strong attack from the start, buoyed by the supportive cheers from the crowd. He maintained this strength until the 11th round, nearly securing the win in the 10th round when Fury fell, prompting the referee to count before Fury got back up to continue the fight. The final round saw early attempts to secure a win, but the decision of the three judges favored Oleksandr Usyk, with split decision.
In the undercard fights that started early, there was a legendary bout between the undefeated Swedish cruiserweight boxer Robin Siroan Safar and the former world light heavyweight champion from Russia, Sergey Kovalev, which ended with Safar maintaining his unbeaten record. Meanwhile, Ukrainian champion Daniel Lapin secured a victory over boxer Octavio Bodeter, and New Zealand boxer David Nyika convincingly defeated German Michael Seitz to keep his record unblemished as well.
In an exciting fight, British boxer Isaac Low won the international featherweight belt by defeating Afghan boxer Haseebullah Ahmadi. Additionally, British heavyweight Musa Aitoma triumphed over German Anna Amiezensev. German boxer Agit Kabayel also managed to break the winning streak of Cuban Frank Sanchez.
In the lightweight division, British boxer Mark Chamberlain won the World Boxing Council (WBC) title by defeating Nigerian Joshua wahab.
In the IBF and IBO featherweight championship, British boxer Joe Cordina triumphed over his compatriot Anthony Cacace. Additionally, Australian boxer Jay Opetaia reclaimed his IBF cruiserweight world title after defeating Latvian Mairis Briedis in a 12-round match, with the decision going in his favor by the judges.
