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Queensberry Ring Of Fire

Fight Result

Loss

Heavyweight Oleksandr Usyk

Usyk Win by SD:

114-113 ,113-114 , 115-112

Win

Heavyweight Oleksandr Usyk

The Ring Of Fire: Everything You Need to Know

Billed as Ring of Fire, after several months of delays, on the 18th of May, 2024, Frank Warren and Queensberry’s Tyson Fury finally went head-to-head with the undefeated Oleksandr Usyk. The winner would not only solidify their legacy as one of the sport’s greats but also claim the:

  • IBF World Heavyweight title
  • WBA World Heavyweight title
  • WBC World Heavyweight title
  • WBO World Heavyweight title
  • IBO World Heavyweight title
  • Ring Magazine Heavyweight title

The bout between the two titans of the sport took place at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and was one of the world’s most anticipated sporting events of the year. Here is how it unfolded.

Background

After Oleksandr Usyk upset Derek Chisora in 2020, Anthony Joshua in 2021 and 2022, and Daniel Dubois in 2023, it was clear that the ex-cruiserweight champion had his eyes on the prize - Tyson Fury.

And just two months after Usyk beat Dubois via a KO in the 9th round, he and Fury took it to social media and let the boxing world know that one of the most anticipated matchups in the heavyweight division is finally happening.

Before Oleksandr Usyk had Tyson Fury on his radar, in the years prior, the “Gypsy King” came out victorious in one of the sport's greatest trilogies against Deontay Wilder. In 2022, Fury would also defeat by TKO both Dillian Whyte and Derek Chisora, and in 2023, he’d claim a win over the ex-UFC Heavyweight Champion, Francis Ngannou via a split decision.

Before the two titans of the division collided, Tyson Fury was on a 7 fight winning streak with an undefeated professional record. As for Usyk, the Ukrainian came forward with a perfect professional record of 21 wins, 0 draws, and 0 losses.

Their staggering history in the boxing world, achievements in the sport, and remarkable professional records are what made Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk I so special and that’s exactly what will make upcoming events featuring the two fighters ones for the history books.

Fight Promotion

The news for a matchup between Tyson Fury and the undefeated Oleksandr Usyk first broke out on the 25th of October, 2023. Both fighters took to social media to announce that they had already signed all the papers for a heavyweight bout, which was supposed to take place at the end of the year.

What Was on the Line

The matchup between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk was scheduled for and took place on the 18th of May, 2024 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The #1 and #2-ranked heavyweights in the world collided for a chance to not only capture the IBF, WBA, WBO, WBC, IBO and Ring Magazine World Heavyweight titles but also establish themselves as the most dominant force in the division.

Main Event Analysis & Statistics

The first round between the two was a discovery round - each fighter testing the other’s range, timing, and reactions. Tyson Fury used his jab effectively to measure distance, while Oleksandr Usyk managed to land a heavy blow that didn’t seem to affect Fury in the last few seconds of round number 1. All judges scored the first round 10-9 in favour of Usyk.

Rounds two and three were a lot faster-paced. In what seemed like an even bout, both Fury and Usyk landed some excellent shots. Two of the three judges gave round number two to Fury while round number three was in favour of Usyk.

Fury went on to win round number four after starting off strong and maintaining an excellent work rate - hurting Usyk through jabs and power punches to the body and the head throughout the round.

Although Usyk was coming at Fury throughout round number five, the “Gypsy King” used his reach to his advantage and kept Oleksandr at a distance while landing some heavy blows and body punches.

In rounds six and seven, Fury was starting to feel very comfortable, landing more body shots and hurting the Ukrainian on several occasions. Fury’s dominance in rounds five, six, and seven didn’t go unnoticed, with all three judges scoring the rounds 10-9 in favour of the “Gypsy King.”

Fury had a strong first couple of seconds in round eight, but Usyk came back strong and landed some heavy punches, one of which caused Fury to bleed from the nose and seemingly lost him the round - with all three judges scoring the round 10-9 in favour of Usyk.

In round nine, Usyk was the dominant force, landing a series of unanswered punches, which left Fury stumbling against the ropes. The referee registered this as a knockdown and gave Fury a standing eight count. The round ended 10-8 in favour of Usyk.

In rounds ten and eleven, the two heavyweights continued to go at each other. Usyk had won both rounds. Throughout round twelve, Fury landed several power punches that won him the round in a unanimous 10-9 score.

At the end of round 12, Fury had landed 62 jabs vs Usyk’s 48 and 95 punches vs Usyk’s 122. Overall, the landed vs. thrown percentage was in favour of Usyk, 42% to Tyson’s 32%.

Fight Outcome

After a 12-round bout, the first fight between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk went to the judges’ scorecards. Judge Craig Metcalfe scored the contest 114-113 in favour of Fury, while judges Mike Fitzgerald and Manuel Oliver Palermo scored the fight 113-114 and 112-115 in favour of Usyk.

After Fury narrowly missed the win, the Ukrainian was crowned the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world for the first time since Lennox Lewis in 2000 and for the first time in the four-belt era. Usyk’s win over the “Gypsy King” also helped him secure his 22nd consecutive win in his perfect professional record.

The Next Fight - Reignited

With a rematch clause in place, Tyson Fury didn’t want to wait long before coming at Oleksandr Usyk again. So, just 11 days after the first Tyson Fury and Usyk fight, Turki Alalshikh announced that the rematch between the two would take place just days before Christmas, on the 21st of December, 2024 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

This time around, there is a lot more at stake for both fighters. Not only will Tyson fight for the IBO, WBC, WBA, and the WBO World Heavyweight titles, but he wants to dominantly reclaim his place as the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world and erase the memory of his controversial split-decision loss.

Plus Full Undercard Featuring

Super-featherweight

Joe Cordina

17(9)-0-0

Anthony Cacace

21(8)-1-0

IBF & IBO World Super-Featherweight Championship

Win TKO - Round 8/12

Heavyweight

Win TKO - Round 2/10

Moses Itauma

8(6)-0-0

Ilja Mezencev

25(21)-3-0

Vacant WBO Inter-Continental Heavyweight Championship

Lightweight

Win TKO - Round 1/12

Mark Chamberlain

15(11)-0-0

Joshua Oluwaseun

23(16)-1-0

Vacant WBC Silver Lightweight Championship

Cruiserweight

Win UD - Round 12/12

Jai Opetaia

24(19)-0-0

Mairis Briedis

28(20)-2-0

Vacant IBF World Cruiserweight Championship

Heavyweight

Win KO - Round 7/12

Agit Kabayel

24(16)-0-0

Frank Sanchez

24(17)-0-0

WBC Continental & WBO NABO Heavyweight Championship

Cruiserweight

Win TKO - Round 4/12

David Nyika

8(7)-0-0

Michael Seitz

12(10)-0-0

Vacant IBF Inter-Continental Cruiserweight Championship

Cruiserweight

Sergey Kovalev

35(29)-4-1

Robin Sirwan Safar

16(12)-0-0

Win UD - Round 10/10

Featherweight

Win PTS - Round 10/10

Isaac Lowe

24(8)-2-3

Hasibullah Ahmad

16(5)-1-0

Light-Heavyweight

Win KO - Round 1/10

Daniel Lapin

9(3)-0-0

Octavio Pudivitr

9(4)-1-0

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