MOSCOW, May 19. /TASS/. Ukrainian boxer Alexander Usik has become absolute world heavyweight champion beating Briton Tyson Fury in a 12-round fight held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, via split decision.

In the first half of the fight, Fury looked better and towards the equator he already had a solid advantage. By the seventh round, Usyk already looked very tired and missed a lot of punches. But the Ukrainian managed to turn the tide of the battle. In the eighth round, he broke the Briton’s nose, and in the ninth he knocked him down, only the bell saved Fury from an early defeat. The Briton recovered in the tenth round, but lost in the end. As a result, two judges gave the victory to Usik (114:113, 115:112), and one judge gave it to Fury (114:113).

The fight was originally to take place on December 23, 2023, but was postponed to a later date due to Fury's injury.