Eddie Hearn shares amazement after Oleksandr Usyk’s comeback win over Tyson Fury after being dominated in middle rounds
Oleksandr Usyk delivered a superb comeback performance against Tyson Fury in Saudi Arabia to become the undisputed heavyweight champion. The Ukrainian handed Fury his first career defeat as a professional, and has received praise from leading boxing promoter Eddie Hearn for his victory.
After being second-best to 'The Gypsy King' for much of the first six rounds of the fight, Usyk was able to adjust to his opponent's gameplan and began to turn the tables through Round 7.
'The Cat' landed a huge left-hand in Round 9 that had Fury wobbling all over the ring, but just as it seemed that Usyk would put him away, the referee intervened and gave the Brit a standing 10-count.
The undisputed heavyweight champion kept his undefeated record intact, and has now defeated the two best British heavyweight boxers of this generation, Fury and Anthony Joshua.
Hearn was interviewed by Matchroom Boxing after the fight, where he said:
"I thought the fight was over. I thought Fury was landing at will, he was walking him onto the uppercut all the time. He was hurting [Usyk] to the body, I thought, 'He could stop him here.' Then the fight changed like that, and that's the brilliance of Oleksandr Usyk. When you're out of the fight, you need to adjust, you need to change something. He never stopped trying."
Watch Eddie Hearn review Fury vs. Usyk below from 2:00:
"Complete legend of sport" - Eddie Hearn in awe of Oleksandr Usyk
Oleksandr Usyk's victory over Tyson Fury in the main event of the Ring of Fire card on May 18th saw him become the third male boxer to achieve undisputed world titles in two weight classes.
'The Cat' previously secured all four titles at cruiserweight, and considering his Olympic gold medal victory in 2012, he is arguably the best boxer of this generation, pound-for-pound.
His victory over 'The Gypsy King' saw him extend his professional record to 22-0, and following the result, was lauded by Matchroom Boxing chairman, Eddie Hearn.
Hearn was interviewed by The Stomping Ground, where he was asked to rank Uysk amongst the all-time greats. He said this:
"Right up there. You talk about a complete legend of the sport. Again, undisputed cruiserweight world champion, undisputed heavyweight world champion, just a phenomenal fighter."
Watch Eddie Hearn praise Oleksandr Usyk below from 4:30: