When Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury met to crown an undisputed heavyweight champion on Saturday, all narratives went out the window. Fury, the bigger and supposedly more powerful man, outboxed Usyk in the first half of the fight. However, Usyk turned the tables with a brutal ninth-round assault, which left Fury stumbling around the ring before crashing to the canvas.

Ultimately, Usyk was crowned the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis in 1999 and the first of the four-belt era, with two of the three judges scoring the fight in his favor (115-112, 113-114, 114-113).

Recap of the Action

Fury showcased impressive boxing technique early on, countering the expectation that Usyk’s technical prowess would overwhelm him. His effective distance management and clean jabs allowed him to dominate initially, even taunting Usyk as he controlled the action. However, Fury’s tendency to fight off the ropes and move backward raised questions about his approach.

The fight shifted in Round 7 when Usyk’s relentless forward pressure and overhand lefts started landing more frequently. Round 9 was the turning point: Usyk landed several clean shots that sent Fury reeling, and a clean left to Fury’s jaw had him stumbling. Usyk continued to press, eventually knocking Fury down against the ropes. Fury beat the 10-count just as the bell rang, likely saving him from a knockout.

After the knockdown, Usyk maintained his momentum, outworking Fury for the rest of the fight. With this victory, Usyk joins Terence Crawford and Naoya Inoue as the only male fighters to have achieved undisputed status in two weight classes during the four-belt era, having previously been undisputed at cruiserweight.

Frustrated Fury

Despite suffering the first defeat of his storied career, Fury insisted he won the fight and expressed his intention to invoke the rematch clause for another bout in October. He also made a controversial statement implying that the judges might have been influenced by the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia.

Fury suggested that Usyk, the Ukrainian boxer, was awarded the fight because of the ongoing war in Ukraine.

“You know his country’s at war, so people are siding with the country at war,” Fury said during an in-ring interview. “Make no mistake. I won that fight, and I’ll be back.”

“I believe I won that fight,” Fury said. “I believe he won a few of the rounds, but I won the majority of them.”

Before those remarks, the fighters embraced several times, and Fury had kissed Usyk on the head in a gesture of respect and admiration.

Following Fury’s remarks, water was sprayed in his face by someone from Usyk’s camp, but Usyk quickly gestured for it to stop.

Later in the interview, Fury added, “I believe I won the fight, but I’m not going to sit here and cry and make excuses. It was a good fight.”

Usyk was not asked in the ring about Fury’s comments, but he did express his willingness for a rematch.

“Yes, of course, very much,” Usyk said. “I’m ready for a rematch.”

Shocking TKO

Anthony Cacace stunned the boxing world with an eighth-round TKO victory over Joe Cordina, claiming the IBF world junior lightweight title on Saturday.

Cacace (22-1, 8 KOs), a 35-year-old from Belfast, Northern Ireland, captured his first major world title, ending Cordina’s second reign as champion.

A pivotal moment came in the third round when Cacace caught Cordina with a left hand right after referee Bob Williams had called for the fighters to break. Capitalizing on the moment, Cacace delivered a perfect right uppercut, sending Cordina face-first to the canvas.

After flooring the champion in the third round, Cacace continued to dominate. Cordina (17-1, 9 KOs), a 32-year-old from Cardiff, Wales, managed to recover and clear his head through the fourth round, but Cacace relentlessly landed right uppercuts. According to CompuBox statistics, Cacace landed 116 power punches compared to Cordina’s 41.

Just 39 seconds into the eighth round, Cacace overwhelmed Cordina, who had been struggling since the third round. Cacace’s barrage of punches in the round led to a sensible stoppage. Cordina will now likely consider stepping up a division to recover from his first professional defeat.

Full Card Results:

– Jai Opetaia (c) def. Mairis Briedis via unanimous decision (117-111, 116-112, 116-112)

– Anthony Cacace def. Joe Cordina (c) via eighth-round knockout

– Agit Kabayel def. Frank Sanchez via seventh-round knockout

– Moses Itauma def. Ilja Mezencev via second-round knockout

– Mark Chamberlain def. Joshua Oluwaseun Wahab via first-round knockout

– Robin Sirwan Safar def. Sergey Kovalev via unanimous decision (97-92, 99-90, 95-94)

– David Nyika def. Michael Seitz via sixth-round knockout

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Ben Whittaker has gone viral numerous times for his in-ring antics, where he mimics legends like Roy Jones Jr. and Emanuel Augustus. In the middle of the fight, Whittaker will start dancing and mocking his opponent’s inability to hit him. 

The young British boxer moves a fraction of an inch to evade the punch before responding with his own laser-accurate shots and skipping around the ring like he’s on the dance floor. 

Whittaker is fearless in the ring. He stands directly in front of professional boxers with his hands down, dodging punch after punch. The light heavyweight seems to know exactly what his opponent is going to throw and when. 

Whittaker isn’t just a defensive maestro. He also has lightning-quick punches and can throw three or four shots before his opponents even have time to respond with a jab. With such impressive skills, it’s no wonder why boxing fans are so excited about this UK prospect.

Where Did Ben Whittaker Come From?

Until the 26-year-old Brit went viral, only hardcore boxing fans knew anything about Whittaker; however, he’s been lighting up the amateur circuit since 2018. He won the bronze medal at the 2019 World Championships and took silver at the European Championships that same year.

The slick light heavyweight then went one better at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, making it all the way to the finals, where he eventually lost to Cuban Arlen Lopez. The young Brit showed his winner’s mentality in the post-fight commentary. Whittaker said, “You don’t win silver, you lose gold. I’m very disappointed – I feel like a failure.”

After the Tokyo Olympics, Whittaker went pro and is currently being trained by SugarHill Steward, who is related to master coach Emmanuel Steward and is the trainer of world champion Tyson Fury. Since going pro, the light heavyweight built up a perfect 7-0 record with five knockouts.

How Good Is Whittaker?

Whittaker’s showboating style has been slightly controversial because the prospect has only fought people way below his level. Critics say it’s easy to look like prime Roy Jones Jr. when you’re fighting plumbers and taxi drivers with losing records.

Right now, we don’t know just how good Whittaker is. He’s obviously an immense talent and has an incredible amateur pedigree, but that doesn’t mean he’ll become a world champion. 

Whittaker has ridiculous hand speed, is a master at slipping punches, and is capable of flashing combination punches. However, professional boxing is very different from amateur boxing, and many world champions and Olympic gold medalists have failed to make the transition. We’ll have to wait and see whether Whittaker can make the transition. 

At the moment, his 7-0 record is largely meaningless, as he’s only fought one fighter with a winning record. We know Whittaker has good reflexes and highly accurate punches. However, there are questions about his stamina and punching power. Also, we don’t know how durable he is, as Whittaker’s chin hasn’t been tested in the professional ranks yet.

Promoter Ben Shalom Believes He’s Found the Next Superstar

After turning pro, Whittaker made a slightly odd decision to sign up with little-known promotional company BOXXER, led by Ben Shalom, who is smitten with his new signing. Shalom said, “He’s an absolute showman. He’s a superstar. Peacock and NBC are going absolutely crazy for him. He did 100 million views across platforms on his last fight. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Shalom said he didn’t just sign the Brit for his showmanship but genuinely believes he’s one of the most talented boxers he’s ever come across. The boxing promoter was also incredibly impressed with Whittaker’s amateur background and amazed at the Brit’s ability to defeat much older and experienced Eastern European and Cuban boxers.

What’s Next for Whittaker?

Whittaker only fought on March 31, when he easily defeated Leon Willings. Whittaker won every round but failed to stop Willings and was even hit flush during his showboating antics. 

The light heavyweight prospect has had enough tune-up fights. It’s time he fought some real competition. Hopefully, he will fight someone in the top 15 in his match, which should give us insight into just how far the 26-year-old can go. Boxers like Diyab Simon Dabschah, Bilel Latreche, or Harald Pfingstl would be a good test for Whittaker!

Read More: Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol Preview

The fight all boxing fans have been waiting for is finally going down. Artur Beterbiev is taking on Dmitry Bivol in a bid to unify the light heavyweight division. Beterbiev is the WBC, IBF, and WBO champion while Bivol holds the WBA belt.

The light heavyweight showdown is set to go down on June 1 in Saudi Arabia. Both fighters will walk away with seven-figure paydays. Bivol’s team is hoping they’re catching Beterbiev at the right moment. At 39 years old, Beterbiev doesn’t have many fights left, but as all boxing fans know, a fighter’s power is the last thing to leave him, and Beterbiev is one of the biggest punchers in all of boxing.

Someone’s 0 Has Got to Go

Artur Beterbiev has a scary 20-0 record, with all wins coming from a knockout. Most of Beterbiev’s opponents don’t make it past round six, and no one has gone the distance with the tough Russian. It’s shocking how much power he can generate from short, seemingly arm punches. 

Most boxers really snap their hips and throw their weight into punches to create concussive power, but not Beterbiev. He has god-given natural punching power. From a short punch on the inside, he can knock out world-class boxers with ease.

Dmitry Bivol is also undefeated with a 22-0 record, but he only has 11 knockouts. The Saint Petersburg resident has a much more impressive resume than Beterbiev, with wins over Canelo Alvarez and Jean Pascal. They both have a win over American Joe Smith Jr.

A Clash of Styles

Despite both fighters being schooled in the Russian style of boxing, they have very different techniques. Bivol has a classic Soviet style of boxing; he’s constantly bouncing on his toes and measuring his opponents with his jab. He’s very defensively responsible and barely gets hit. 

Bivol: The Technical Masterclass

The 33-year-old is a master at measuring distance and, due to his excellent positioning, is often able to hit his opponents and then move ever so slightly out of range. Bivol’s style is incredibly frustrating for his opponents, who often waste their energy throwing shots that completely miss or land on his gloves.

Bivol doesn’t have devastating punching power and isn’t a knockout artist. Instead, he wears opponents down with fast, hard and accurate punchers. He also stuns opposing fighters with shots that they never see coming.

The Saint Petersburg fighter is also known for incredible stamina. He can effortlessly fight for 12 rounds and throws a high number of punches, not giving his opponents a chance to rest. For a fighter like Bivol, it’s a shame that matches are no longer 15 rounds, and we’re sure he’d have even more knockouts.

If you want to see Bivol in perfect form, watch his match against Canelo. The Russian put on a boxing clinic against the legendary Mexican champion. Bivol floated around the ring, landing accurate punches while Canelo struggled to break through the Russian’s iron defense.

Beterbiev: The Ruthless Puncher

Even though Beterbiev had a very impressive amateur boxing background in Russia, which included a gold medal at the 2009 World Championships, he doesn’t fight like your typical Soviet fighter. Beterbiev is a brawler with ridiculous power, and his style is reminiscent of Gennady Golovkin but is even more ferocious.

Beterbiev believes in his power so much that he’ll stand in the pocket and take two or three punches from his opponent in a bid to land just one of his own. He knows that if he can even land a grazing blow, he can send his opponents to the canvas for good. With 20 knockouts from 20 fights, it’s hard to argue with the effectiveness of Beterbiev’s style.

Bivol vs Beterbiev is a classic boxer vs puncher match-up which has been going on in boxing for 100+ years. Very rarely do you see two undefeated champions go toe to toe. This is set to be one of the best fights of the last decade.

The sportsbooks have this a pick’em fight. However, we give a slight edge to Bivol. Beterbiev struggled against a fighter similar to Bivol, Oleksandr Gvozdyk, and needed a late-round knockout to win. Bivol is a level above Gvozdyk, and we think Beterbiev won’t find a way through his defense! 

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