In a long-awaited bout for the undisputed heavyweight championship, WBA/IBF/WBO champion Oleksandr Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs) claimed the WBC title from Tyson Fury (34-1-1, 24 KOs) with a twelve-round split decision on Saturday night at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Usyk pressed the action from the start, forcing Fury to stay active throughout. While Fury landed effective body shots, Usyk consistently connected with straight lefts to the head. The 6’9” Fury began to find his range in the fourth round, landing from long distance and hurting Usyk with body shots in the sixth. Usyk adjusted, delivering precise shots to edge out the seventh round and repeatedly connecting in the eighth. In the ninth round, Usyk rocked Fury and scored a knockdown, leaving Fury barely able to survive. Fury attempted to box from a distance in the tenth and eleventh rounds. The final round saw both fighters having their moments. The judges scored the fight 115-112, 114-113 for Usyk, and 114-113 for Fury.

In a rematch between former champions for the vacant IBF cruiserweight title, unbeaten Jai Opetaia (25-0, 19 KOs) reclaimed the belt with a twelve-round unanimous decision over Mairis Briedis (28-3, 20 KOs). Opetaia dominated the first five rounds and broke the 39-year-old Briedis’ nose with a left hook in the sixth. Despite being significantly behind on the scorecards, Briedis rallied in the tenth round and finished strong in the final rounds. However, his efforts were insufficient. The judges scored the bout 117-111, 116-112, and 116-112 in favor of Opetaia.

Opetaia initially won the IBF title against Briedis two years ago but vacated it to pursue a lucrative fight in Saudi Arabia instead of an immediate rematch with an injured Briedis. Briedis then saw two IBF title fights fall through, allowing Opetaia the opportunity to regain his former title.

Unheralded junior lightweight Anthony Cacace (22-1, 8 KOs) dethroned previously unbeaten IBF world champion Joe Cordina (17-1, 9 KOs) with an eighth-round TKO. In the third round, the 35-year-old Cacace struck Cordina during a break and then knocked him down moments later, nearly securing an early stoppage. Although Cordina managed to recover somewhat between rounds, Cacace relentlessly pummeled him against the ropes in the sixth and seventh rounds. The referee halted the fight after more punishment in the eighth round, at just 39 seconds.