Oleksandr Usyk retained his heavyweight titles by beating Tyson Fury on points in their rematch in Riyadh on Saturday night.
In an exciting match where both competitors stood their ground, Usyk emerged as the stronger fighter, securing a repeat win just like he did seven months prior.
Usyk became undisputed champion by just a single point in May as he earned a split decision win, but this time it was more clear-cut as all three judges scored the bout 116-112 in his favour.
Fury promptly left the ring after the result was announced having clearly been disappointed that his efforts got very little recognition from the judges.
Meanwhile, Usyk appeared bemused when asked if he deserved to get his hand raised before he was confronted by heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois who called for a rematch after losing to the Ukrainian great last year.
But this night was all about another enthralling 12 rounds between two elite heavyweights in Usyk and Fury.
Having entered the ring to Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You while wearing the red and white of Santa Claus, Fury quickly got down to business.
Oleksandr Usyk retained his titles by beating Tyson Fury on points for the second time
It was an enthralling contest, where Fury and Usyk went back and forth across 12 rounds
But it was Usyk who came on strong in the latter rounds to take the decision
Having spent three months away from his wife and children, he had promised to be more aggressive than the first fight and avoid any showboating, and he took the centre of the ring straight away. But Usyk refused to be bullied as he pushed the bigger man back in a cagey opening round.
The Brit began to bring his jab into play in the second, and a sharp right hand briefly bothered Usyk as the action started to heat up.
Fury switched to southpaw as he started to grow in confidence, before the fight came to life in the fourth as Usyk landed two hard left hands, only for the Gyspy King to respond with a powerful right of his own.
If the previous four rounds had been hard to score, the fifth wasn’t. Fury landed at will to the body and connected with a swift uppercut on the inside as he started to take control.
But Usyk is a champion for a reason. The Ukrainian emerged for the sixth with renewed vigour and caught Fury with strong left hands that wobbled the giant.
There was some much-needed respite in the seventh as both men took their foot off the gas to mount their charge for the second half of the fight.
After pausing for breathe, the pace quickened in the eighth, and Usyk called on Fury after being caught with a couple of shots. It was now a battle of the minds as well as physical strength.
The ninth was a round of two halves, with Fury using his jab and body shots to good effect early on, before Usyk rallied to catch the bigger man with a left hand-right hook combination. It was still all up for grabs.
As the championship rounds began, the fight was still being fought at a frantic pace and it was nip and tuck.
Usyk dropped to his knees after the final bell and embraced Fury before the final result was announced
A clearly disappointed Fury left the ring after his second career defeat was confirmed
Usyk was left celebrating in the ring after proving he remains the best heavyweight in the world
Yet the 11th was anything but. Usyk came out with a spring in his step and caught Fury with multiple hard shots. Fury took them and wiped at his face. No blood above the eye, but a cut had long formed below it. Reason for concern in the Fury corner.
Leave it all in the ring they say, and Fury and Usyk were determined to do exactly that in the final round. But once again, it was Usyk who seemed to edge the exchanges.
As the final bell rang, Usyk dropped to his knees and the devout Christian looked to heavens clearly believing he had done enough to claim another win.
He was proved right as he retained his unbeaten record, his titles and the status of being the best heavyweight on the planet.
