Boxing Challenge: Usyk dethrones Fury!

     It was an action-filled Saturday in the boxing universe with several upsets, new champions crowned, and maybe even a new addition to the all-time greats of the sport.

In the biggest bout of the day, Oleksandr Usyk unified the world heavyweight title by adding the WBC title to his three others with a split decision win over previously unbeaten Tyson Fury.

Fury won most of the first half of the fight before Usyk began to change the narrative in round seven and in round eight, Usyk exploded with a series of punches that sent Fury reeling around the ring in a daze that had referee Mark Nelson stopped the fight, I don't think there would have been a large controversy.

Fury was able to get up from the knockdown with the round closing after Fury rose and give the Englishman credit for getting himself together between rounds.

Fury wouldn't win a round on my card thereafter but he fought competitively and had his moments against Usyk, who nonetheless had the advantage in the final rounds.

The scorecards were for Usyk 115-112 (my score and the score that seems to be the most common), 114-113 (meaning without the knockdown, it would have finished as a draw), and 114-113 for Fury (which I disagree with but if you gave everything close to Fury, I can see it).

Usyk will be the undisputed champion for days or a week if he's lucky as the IBF will demand Usyk defend against their top contender Filip Hrgovic, which Usyk is unlikely to do as the two fighters agreed to a two-fight series when the contracts were signed.

I suppose it's possible that Hrgovic could take step-aside money but it's unlikely and the most likely scenario is that Hrgovic's fight against Daniel DuBois on June 1 will be for the vacant IBF title.

DuBois was stopped last year in a title try against Usyk, so a DuBois win will make things even more ridiculous.

One question on Oleksandr Usyk is whether or not this win qualifies him as an all-time great.

Perhaps not as an all-time great heavyweight but as an all-time great fighter- yes.

A fully undisputed title at cruiserweight followed by an undisputed championship at heavyweights with wins over the best of each division except for Deontay Wilder makes an excellent statement for Usyk's greatness.

Usyk's boxing skills along with his underrated punch definitely rate him as an all-time great and now that he has added Tyson Fury to his record pushes him up the ladder of greatness.

I have some things to do so the remainder of the weekend recap will have to wait until I have more time.